Sensitivity and Specificity of High-Resolution Computed Tomography in Diagnosis of COVID-19 in Emergency Department: A Single Centre Study

Dr. Shweta Tyagi, Dr. Gopal Chaturvedi, Dr. Namita Deogaonkar, Dr. Prashant Mishra, Dr. Afham Thoppu, Dr. Nikunj Kakadiya, Dr. Abdul Abdulla, Dr. Yagna Gone, Dr. Amersohail Solanki, Dr. Bilal Jassani, Dr. Pallavi Gurjar

Dr. Shweta Tyagi, Dr. Gopal Chaturvedi, Dr. Namita Deogaonkar, Dr. Prashant Mishra, Dr. Afham Thoppu, Dr. Nikunj Kakadiya, Dr. Abdul Abdulla, Dr. Yagna Gone, Dr. Amersohail Solanki, Dr. Bilal Jassani, Dr. Pallavi Gurjar

Keywords: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, chest CT imaging, diagnostics

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the performance of chest computed tomography (CT) scan in the preliminary diagnosis of suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Material and methods: Suspected 1149 COVID-19 patients who underwent both chest CT and RT-PCR tests were included. Considering RT-PCR as a reference standard, the performance of chest CT in diagnosing COVID-19 was evaluated. Obtained data was statistically analysed for sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the diagnosis of COVID-19 cases.
Results: Out of 1149 patients RTPCR was positive in 188 (16.36%) of patients and CT findings were positive in 368 (32.03%) of patients. The majority (21.15%) of the patients’ CT scan revealed sub-pleural ground-glass opacities (GGO), consolidation was seen in 76 (6.61%), pleural effusion in 73 (6.35%) and interstitial oedema in 41 (6.35%) respectively. Considering RT-PCR results as the reference standard, the chest CT revealed a sensitivity of 73.40%, specificity of 76.07% and accuracy of 75.63% in identifying COVID 19.
Conclusion: Chest CT revealed diagnostic accuracy (75.63%) in diagnosing COVID-19 and it could be considered as a basic modality for detecting COVID-19 cases early. This can be valuable to initiate early triage and infection control practices and appropriate isolation strategies in Emergency Department.

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