The outbreak started in Wuhan, December 2019, spread to every continent after reporting its first case on December 22, 2020. Because radiological findings consistent with COVID-19 have been seen in patients with negative RT-PCR, combining the two modalities saves time and money by eliminating need for repeat PCR testing for diagnosis while also allowing for identification of the stage and severity of lung involvement. We analyzed numerous radiological indications of COVID-19 infection on non-enhanced CT chest and determined their relationship to severity and outcome in this retrospective investigation.

Methods:

This study was conducted at Ziauddin Hospital Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan from April 2020 to December 2020. Patients aged 18 and above were included and patients with underlying interstitial lung disease or destructive lung diseases were excluded. The WHO standards were used to categorize severity of the disease. Certified radiologist reviewed the CT scans and graded them using Chest CT Severity Score developed by Dutch Radiological Society, calculated by separating 18 bronchopulmonary segments into 20 regions.

Results:

Mean age of study population was found 60.1±14.7. Males were predominant 154 (72.6%) while females were 58 (27.3%). We found that critical patients are significantly associated with the outcome than the mild, moderate and severe. We found strong association of age (p-value 0.001), length of hospital stay (p-value 0.001), clinical severity (p-value 0.001), CT severity score (p-value 0.001), and CT severity group (p-value 0.002).

Conclusion:

In patients with COVID-19 infection, CT severity score is linked to length of hospital stay, outcome, and severity.

Key Words: COVID, Severity, Pneumonia, CT, Score