|
Diagnostic value of chest CT in Iranian patients with suspected COVID-19
|
Hanieh Salehi-Pourmehr    , Hojjat Pourfathi , Mohammad Kazem Tarzamni , Morteza Ghojazadeh , Behrooz Naghili , Armin Zarrintan , Reza Mehdipour , Sakineh Hajebrahimi |
| Research center for Evidence-Based- Medicine, Iranian EBM Center: A Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Center of Excellence, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. , hajebrahimis@gmail.com |
|
|
Abstract: (2944 Views) |
Background: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a rising need for a rapid and reliable diagnostic tool. We hypothesized that chest computed tomography (CT) can be a potential alternative for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of chest CT and RT-PCR in Iranian patients with suspected COVID-19.
Methods: In a retrospective, single-center case series, 568 consecutive hospitalized or outpatient patients with suspected COVID-19 underwent chest CT and/or RT-PCR testing at Imam Reza Hospital, the tertiary teaching hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, from February 21 and March 28, 2020.
Results: The sensitivity of chest CT for signifying COVID-19 was 64% (95% CI: 56%–71%) on the basis of positive RT-PCR results as a standard method. CT imaging also had a specificity of 77% (95% CI: 73%–81%), positive predictive value of 35% (95% CI: 0.31–0.39), negative predictive value of 66% (95% CI: 0.61–0.69), positive likelihood ratio of 2.79 (95% CI: 2.26–3.46), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.47 (95% CI: 0.38–0.57).
Conclusion: Chest CT had higher specificity than RT-PCR in the diagnosis of COVID-19, . Therefore, it can play a crucial role in the early diagnosis. Similar to the previous studies, the typical CT features were patchy ground-glass opacities as well as peripheral aspects of the lungs consolidations. |
|
| Keywords: Sensitivity, Specificity, Chest CT, RT-PCR, COVID-19 |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 198 kb]
(629 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Infectious Diseases
Received: 2020/05/31 | Accepted: 2020/09/28 | Published: 2020/10/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
