Incidental findings in computed tomography in suspicious coronavirus disease patients: Findings of a large cross-sectional study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background The objective of this study was to assess the coincidental discoveries in the computed tomography scan (CT scan) results of individuals who were suspected of having COVID-19. Methods This investigation was conducted on a series of patients who were suspected to have COVID-19 based on their clinical symptoms. Every patient received a chest CT scan and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19. The patients' age, gender, and CT scan findings were documented. Results Among a total of 9,457 patients (with a male to female ratio of 1.36:1), 614 individuals (6.5%) tested positive for RT-PCR. There was a notable disparity in the age distribution between individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and those who tested negative ( P < 0.001). Extended duration of participation was observed in 41.5% of the patients. COVID-19 positive patients with lymphadenopathy were considerably older than COVID-19 negative patients with lymphadenopathy ( P < 0.001). Conversely, COVID-19 positive patients with hiatal hernia ( P = 0.001) and breast lesions ( P = 0.008) were notably younger than COVID-19 negative patients with these conditions. There was a notable disparity in the distribution of genders among patients with lung ( P = 0.021), thyroid ( P < 0.001), breast ( P < 0.001), and esophageal ( P = 0.015) between the COVID-19 positive and negative groups. Conclusion CT scan findings should not be relied upon as the only diagnostic tool for patients suspected of having COVID-19.
Source: Imaging
Authors: Ramezan Jafari, Mohammad Javanbakht, Mohammad Hossein Azimzadeh Ardebili, Amir Hosein Ghazale, Ayla Jafari, Amin Saburi
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411207419