Chest X-ray (First Tool of Imaging) in COVID-19 Patients Radiological and Clinical Correlation - A Tertiary Care Experience at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 infection is the name given to respiratory illness caused by novel coronavirus (nCov) which is a new strain emerged in China in December 2019 that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from common cold to severe respiratory symptoms of pneumonia. As there is no fixed definition of COVID-19 pneumonia, in this article we use tis term for patients who clinically showed up with respiratory symptoms along with radiological evidence of disease.

Objective: The objective was to correlate the chest x-ray findings of all symptomatic COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) positive patients admitted in COVID-19 isolation ward, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi and assess the extent of baseline illness with progression or regression of disease radio graphically through serial chest X-rays and clinically with repeated viral nucleic acid testing.

Study type, settings & duration: A prospective observational study was conducted at JPMC from 1^st May to 31^st May 2020.  

Methodology:  All RT-PCR COVID-19 positive patients included who were admitted at isolation ward. Baseline and serial chest x-rays of suspected and already diagnosed patients were performed using portable x-ray machine dedicated in COVID-19 isolation ward.

Results: Sixty four patients were studied over a period of one month, 42 males (66%) and 22 females (35%) in the age range of 16-75 years were included. The 23% patients with mild symptoms had normal chest radiograph initially progressed gradually with classical radiographic features had severity score (2) to moderate ...........