The comparison of chest CT and RT-PCR during the diagnosis of COVID-19

Avni Uygar Seyhan 1, Fatih Doğanay 2, Erdal Yılmaz 1, Ömer Aydıner 3, Rohat Ak 1 * , Serap Demir Tekol 4
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1 Department of Emergency Medicine, Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Department of Emergency Medicine, Edremit Public Hospital, Balıkesir, Turkey
3 Department of Radiology, Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
4 Department of Microbiology, Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
* Corresponding Author
J CLIN MED KAZ, Volume 18, Issue 1, pp. 53-56. https://doi.org/10.23950/jcmk/9656
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ABSTRACT

Objective: Our aim in this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest computed tomography and Real-time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction in a population with suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) presenting at the emergency department.
Material and methods: The study included 257 patients presented to the emergency department with suspected COVID-19. We included all symptomatic patients who received a chest computed tomography and at least one Polymerase Chain Reaction test for detection of COVID-19. The detection rate of COVID-19 infection based on the initial chest computed tomography and Real-time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction was compared.
Results: A total of 257 patients, 130 women and 127 men, were included in the study.  The average age of all patients was 41,12±15,77. Sensitivity of Real-time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction test was 71% while that of computed tomography was found to be 49%. The ground glass appearance and/or peripheral distribution findings in 126 patients can be said to be the representative of computed tomography findings for COVID-19.
Conclusion: Chest computed tomography should not be used routinely as a screening or diagnostic tool for COVID-19, and additional risks that may arise due to computed tomography imaging should be considered.
Keywords: coronavirus, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, chest CT imaging

CITATION

Seyhan AU, Doğanay F, Yılmaz E, Aydıner Ö, Ak R, Demir Tekol S. The comparison of chest CT and RT-PCR during the diagnosis of COVID-19. J CLIN MED KAZ. 2021;18(1):53-6. https://doi.org/10.23950/jcmk/9656

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