The relationship between lesion density change in chest computed tomography and clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the association of changes in chest computed tomography (CT) lesion densities with clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who underwent repeated chest CT. Patients who improved clinically but showed radiological progression were included. Demographic data, presentation complaints, and laboratory results were retrieved from the electronic database of the hospital. Lesion density that was measured in Hounsfield Units (HU) was compred between admission and discharge chest CT scans. Results: Forty patients (21males, mean age 47.4±15.1 years) were included in the analysis. The median white blood cell count and CRP significantly decreased, whereas the median lymphocyte count significantly increased at discharge compared with the admission values. The mean density significantly reduced from admission to discharge. Conclusion: This is the first study in the literature reporting reduction in chest CT lesion densities correlated with clinical and laboratory improvement in COVID-19 patients.