Características clínicas y de imagen de tórax en pacientes con COVID-19 en un hospital de Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Abstract

. Introduction: the role of imaging resources for the characterization of the spectrum of radiological manifestations, through standardized language and structured reports, serves as a guide for treatment and therapy in COVID-19 patients. Purpose: to determine the clinical-imaging characteristics in the chest tomography in patients with COVID-19 at the Hospital María de Especialidades Pediátricas. Material and methods: observational, cross-sectional study, with an analytical component, carried out at the Hospital María de Especialidades Pediátricas, April 2020-April 2021. All data were obtained from clinical records and digital image archive, 149 patients met the case definition. The inclusion criteria were: confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients 18 years or older who were hospitalized and underwent RT-PCR or antigen tests and HRCT. On the other hand, three scales were used to objectify affectation, severity and degree of suspicion for the prediction of COVID-19 by computerized tomography (CT). Results: the most affected population where female, the most frequent age range was between 40-59 years, (mean of 56) with comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes or prediabetes. Most of the patients presented in a chronic or advanced phase of the disease, the following patterns where found the most frequently; cobblestone (80.5%), pleuroparenchymal bands (79.5%) and ground glass pattern (73.8%). There is a strong correlation between the predominant pulmonary patterns and the tomographic evolution phase (Pearson’s correlation coefficient 0.65). Conclusion: computerized tomography is a very valuable tool for diagnosing COVID-19 infection,