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The COVID-19 infection causes a severe form of viral pneumonia in a proportion of the infected patients. Over the last 1 year, a lot of typical and atypical radiological changes in COVID pneumonia have been documented. These radiological appearances can help in the diagnosis of COVID infection even before genetic test results are available. While some of these signs are nonspecific and found in a lot of other infections, there are a few signs that have been newly described specifically during the current pandemic. Here, we present such a rare sign in a patient from Eastern India.

Rationale: Ground-glass opacity (GGO)-associated lung cancers are common and radiologically distinct clinical entities known to have an indolent clinical course and superior survival, implying a unique underlying biology. However, the molecular and immune characteristics of GGO-associated lung nodules have not been systemically studied. Objectives: To provide mechanistic insights for the treatment of these radiologically distinct clinical entities. Methods: We initiated a prospective cohort study to collect and characterize pulmonary nodules with GGO components (nonsolid and part-solid nodules) or without GGO components, as precisely quantified by using three-dimensional image reconstruction to delineate the molecular and immune features associated with GGO. Multiomics assessment conducted by using targeted gene panel sequencing, RNA sequencing, TCR (T-cell receptor) sequencing, and circulating tumor DNA detection was performed. Measurements and Main Results: GGO-associated lung cancers exhibited a lower tumor mutation burden than solid nodules. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a less active immune environment in GGO components and immune pathways, decreased expression of immune activation markers, and less infiltration of most immune-cell subsets, which was confirmed by using multiplex immunofluorescence. Furthermore, T-cell repertoire sequencing revealed lower T-cell expansion in GGO-associated lung cancers. HLA loss of heterozygosity was significantly less common in lung adenocarcinomas with GGO components than in those without. Circulating tumor DNA analysis suggested that the release of tumor DNA to the peripheral blood was correlated with the tumor size of non-GGO components. Conclusions: Compared with lung cancers presenting with solid lung nodules, GGO-associated lung cancers are characterized by a less active metabolism and a less active immune microenvironment, which may be the mechanisms underlying their indolent clinical course. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03320044). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the frequency of typical and atypical computed tomography (CT) findings of COVID-19 and their effect on hospitalization. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 414 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and who had lung involvement in their admission chest CT. We evaluated the frequency of typical and atypical chest CT findings and analyzed the relationship between typical and atypical findings of COVID-19 in patients treated in ambulatory versus inpatient settings. RESULTS: Ground-glass opacities were the most common typical finding of COVID-19 chest CT scans. The frequencies of other typical findings, including consolidation, air bronchogram, pulmonary vascular enlargement (PVE), airway changes, crazy paving pattern, and reticular pattern, were similar to those reported in the literature. Atypical findings were less common and found at varying frequencies. Crazy paving pattern, air bronchogram, reticular pattern, and PVE were significantly more common in hospitalized patients (p<0.001). The frequencies of other typical and atypical findings were not significantly different between ambulatory and hospitalized patients. CONCLUSION: Increased recognition of typical and atypical findings of COVID-19 and their frequencies, as well as knowledge of admission chest CT findings that are associated with hospitalization, will facilitate medical care during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently no optimal localization technique has been established for localization of ground glass opacity (GGO). We aimed to introduce a localization technique using geometric localization for peripheral GGO.Methods: We delineated the location of pulmonary GGO using geometric method which was similar with localization of a point in a spatial coordinate system. The localization technique was based on the anatomical landmarkers (ribs or intercostal spaces, capitulum costae and sternocostal joints). The geometric parameters were measured on preoperative CT images and the targeted GGO could be identified intraoperatively according to the parameters. We retrospectively collected the data of the patients with peripheral GGOs which were localized using this method and were wedge resected between June 2019 and July 2020. The efficacy and feasibility of the localization technique were assessed.Results: There were 93 patients (male 34, median = 55 years) with 108 peripheral GGOs in the study. All the targeted GGOs were successfully wedge resected in the operative field with negative surgical margin at the first attempt. For each GGO, the localization parameters could be measured in 2-4 min (median = 3 min) on CT images before operation, and surgical resection could be completed in 5-10 min (median = 7 min). A total of 106 (98.15%) GGOs achieved sufficient resection margin. No complications and deaths occurred related to the localization and surgical procedure.Conclusions: The localization technique can achieve satisfactory localization success rate and good safety profile. It can provide an easy-to-use alternative to localize peripheral GGO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND and AIM: COVID-19 shares similarities with lung diseases and causie difficulties in the management. The aim of this study is to describe demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of patients who admitted to the emergency department (ED) of a chest diseases hospital and how we managed these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ED admissions from March 11, 2020, to May 11, 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups as probable COVID-19 (P-COVID-19) and non-COVID-19. The data were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: A total of 223 patients, of which 31.8% were P-COVID-19 and 68.2% were non-COVID-19, were included. The mean age was 49.14 ± 18.05 years in P-COVID-19 group and 59.17 ± 17.32 years in non-COVID-19 group (P < 0.001). The most common symptoms in all patients were dyspnea (26.5%) and cough (21.1%). In P-COVID-19 group, cough, dyspnea, and fever were the most common symptoms, and the presence of fever was statistically significantly higher (P = 0.03). Increased C-reactive protein, sedimentation, and D-dimer levels were observed in 61.5%, 70.9%, and 52.6% of patients, respectively. Laboratory findings showed no significant differences between two groups. All patients underwent chest X-ray examination and 42.6% of them had pathological findings. 56.3% of P-COVID-19 patients had normal chest X-rays. Bilateral involvement on HRCT was more frequent in P-COVID-19 group than non-COVID-19 group (47.8% vs. 36.7%, P < 0.001). The presence of ground-glass opacity (GGO) was statistically significantly higher in P-COVID-19 group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of fever and GGO with bilateral involvement on HRCT could be used for the early detection and triage of suspected patients in ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of pulmonary infectious and noninfectious complications with extensive ground-glass attenuation (GGA) in immunocompromised patients. Materials and methods: One hundred fifty-two immunocompromised patients with pulmonary complications that showed extensive GGA (> 50% of the whole lung on HRCT) were included in this study. The diagnoses of the 152 patients were as follows: pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), n = 82; drug-induced pneumonia, n = 38; bacterial pneumonia, n = 9; cytomegalovirus pneumonia, n = 6; idiopathic pneumonia syndrome, n = 6; diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), n = 4; fungal infection, n = 3; tuberculosis, n = 2 and pulmonary edema, n = 2. Two chest radiologists retrospectively evaluated the CT criteria, which consisted of 12 findings. Results: The nodule (p = 0.015), the bronchovascular bundle (BVB) thickening (p = 0.001), and the interlobular septum (ILS) thickening (p = 0.002) were significantly infrequent in PCP. The ILS thickening was significantly frequent in drug-induced pneumonia (p < 0.001) though it was also frequent in other noninfectious and infectious diseases. The BVB thickening was significantly frequent in bacterial pneumonia (p = 0.005). The nodule was significantly frequent in DAH (p = 0.049). Conclusion: Nodules, BVB thickening, and ILS thickening could be useful HRCT findings for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary complications in immunocompromised patients with extensive GGA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: During the novel coronavirus pandemic, great challenges are becoming prominent, such as early and rapid diagnoses using simple and readily available tests. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan plays a major role in the diagnosis and monitoring of the complications with high specificity. The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy of nonenhanced chest CT scan in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease in suspected patients. Materials and Methods: Eighty four suspected patients were included in this retrospective study from March 1, 2020, to April 1, 2020, who underwent both nonenhanced chest CT scan and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 disease. Results: The total number of initial reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR-positive results was 52 (61.9%) patients and that of negative results was 32 (38%) patients. Out of the total number of positive RT-PCR tests, only fifty (96%) patients showed positive CT findings. Of the total number of negative RT-PCR tests (32 [38%] patients), only 8 (25%) patients showed negative CT results. With RT-PCR results as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and the accuracy of chest CT in indicating the COVID-19 infection were 96.15%, 25%, and 69.04%, respectively. Ground-glass opacity (GGO) was seen in all positive CT patients (74 [100%]), mixed GGO was seen in 27 (36.4%) patients, and consolidation was seen in 36 (48.6%) patients which was subsegmental in 28 (37.8%) patients. Vascular dilatation sign was seen in 61 (82.4%) patients, crazy paving sign was seen in 31 (41.9%) patients, reverse halo signs were seen in 23 (31%) patients, and air bronchogram was seen in 39 (52.7%) patients. Conclusions: Highly characteristic and specific bilateral multifocal GGOs were reported as the classical/typical chest CT features of COVID-19 infection with high confidence rate, although it may vary in different patients' parameters and stages so that chest CT imaging has very high sensitivity (96.15%) for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in epidemic areas with high pretest probability for disease, and it is recommended to be included as a decision-making diagnostic test in suspected patients with RT-PCR-negative results.

ABSTRACTOn 31 December 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and caused the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To date, computed tomography (CT) findings have been recommended as major evidence for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 in Hubei, China. This review focuses on the imaging characteristics and changes throughout the disease course in patients with COVID-19 in order to provide some help for clinicians. Typical CT findings included bilateral ground-glass opacity, pulmonary consolidation, and prominent distribution in the posterior and peripheral parts of the lungs. This review also provides a comparison between COVID-19 and other diseases that have similar CT findings. Since most patients with COVID-19 infection share typical imaging features, radiological examinations have an irreplaceable role in screening, diagnosis and monitoring treatment effects in clinical practice.

Abstract Background The early stages of lung cancer with ground‐glass opacity (GGO) pattern are detectable. However, it remains a challenge for physicians how best to treat GGO nodules as invasive tumors are occasionally found, even in pure GGO nodules. This study identified the invasiveness by the clinical features of the GGO nodules. Methods A retrospective review of patients with resected GGO nodules from August 2015 to February 2019 was performed. A total of 92 patients were enrolled and gender, age, tumor location, operation times, tumor size, histopathologic and radiological findings were analyzed. Results In this study, the sequential of GGO nodules invasiveness was significantly related to the tumor size and solid component. After regrouping the population into preinvasive and invasive groups, the invasiveness was significantly related to tumor size, solid component, tumor volume and maximal computed tomography (CT) value. Conclusions The invasiveness is difficult to evaluate according to the CT features only when the GGO nodules are less than 2 cm and consolidation/tumor ratio (C/T ratio) are less than 0.25. Tumor size and solid component are significant factors for predicting invasiveness. Part‐solid GGO nodules with a diameter greater than 1 cm require surgical consideration due to their high risk of invasiveness.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify patients at a high risk of recurrence using preoperative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsA total of 567 patients who underwent screening and 1,216 who underwent external validation for clinical stage I NSCLC underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy. Staging was used on the basis of the 8th edition of the tumor–node–metastasis classification. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors for RFS.ResultsA multivariable Cox analysis identified solid component size (hazard ratio [HR], 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–2.12; P < 0.001) and pure solid type (HR, 1.82; 95% CI 1.11–2.96; P = 0.017) on HRCT findings as independent prognostic factors for RFS. When patients were divided into high-risk (n = 331; solid component size of >2 cm or pure solid type) and low-risk (n = 236; solid component size of ≤2 cm and part solid type) groups, there was a significant difference in RFS (HR, 5.33; 95% CI 3.09–9.19; 5-year RFS, 69.8% vs. 92.9%, respectively; P < 0.001). This was confirmed in the validation set (HR, 5.32; 95% CI 3.61–7.85; 5-year RFS, 72.0% vs. 94.8%, respectively; P < 0.001).ConclusionsIn clinical stage I NSCLC, patients with a solid component size of >2 cm or pure solid type on HRCT were at a high risk of recurrence.

Background: Early-stage lung cancers radiologically manifested as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) have been increasingly identified, among which pure GGO (pGGO) has a good prognosis after local resection. However, the optimal surgical margin is still under debate. Precancerous lesions exist in tumor-adjacent tissues beyond the histological margin. However, potential precancerous epigenetic variation patterns beyond the histological margin of pGGO are yet to be discovered and described. Results: A genome-wide high-resolution DNA methylation analysis was performed on samples collected from 15 pGGO at tumor core (TC), tumor edge (TE), para-tumor tissues at the 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm beyond the tumor, and peripheral normal (PN) tissue. TC and TE were tested with the same genetic alterations, which were also observed in histologically normal tissue at 5 mm in two patients with lower mutation allele frequency. According to the difference of methylation profiles between PN samples, 2284 methylation haplotype blocks (MHBs), 1657 differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs), and 713 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS). Two different patterns of methylation markers were observed: Steep (S) markers sharply changed at 5 mm beyond the histological margin, and Gradual (G) markers changed gradually from TC to PN. S markers composed 86.2% of the tumor-related methylation markers, and G markers composed the other 13.8%. S-marker-associated genes enriched in GO terms that were related to the hallmarks of cancer, and G-markers-associated genes enriched in pathways of stem cell pluripotency and transcriptional misregulation in cancer. Significant difference in DNA methylation score was observed between peripheral normal tissue and tumor-adjacent tissues 5 mm further from the histological margin (p < 0.001 in MHB markers). DNA methylation score at and beyond 10 mm from histological margin is not significantly different from peripheral normal tissues (p > 0.05 in all markers). Conclusions: According to the methylation pattern observed in our study, it was implied that methylation alterations were not significantly different between tissues at or beyond P10 and distal normal tissues. This finding explained for the excellent prognosis from radical resections with surgical margins of more than 15 mm. The inclusion of epigenetic characteristics into surgical margin analysis may yield a more sensitive and accurate assessment of remnant cancerous and precancerous cells in the surgical margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thoracic imaging is fundamental in the diagnostic route of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) especially in patients admitted to hospitals. In particular, chest computed tomography (CT) has a key role in identifying the typical features of the infection. Ground-glass opacities (GGO) are one of the main CT findings, but their presence is not specific for this viral pneumonia. In fact, GGO is a radiological sign of different pathologies with both acute and subacute/chronic clinical manifestations. In the evaluation of a subject with focal or diffuse GGO, the radiologist has to know the patient's medical history to obtain a valid diagnostic hypothesis. The authors describe the various CT appearance of GGO, related to the onset of symptoms, focusing also on the ancillary signs that can help radiologist to obtain a correct and prompt diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic implications and pathological features of clinical stage I lung adenocarcinoma with ground-glass opacity (GGO) on computed tomography (CT). Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were 1228 patients with lung adenocarcinoma classified as clinical stage I, who underwent complete resection by lobectomy. The patients were divided into four groups based on the presence and proportion of GGO according to the consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR); A, CTR ≤ 0.5; B, 0.5 < CTR ≤ 0.75; C, 0.75 < CTR ≤ 1.0 with GGO; D, without GGO (pure-solid). We compared overall survival, pathological findings (N/ly/v/STAS), and histological subtypes within each clinical stage among the four groups. Results: We found no significant differences among tumors with GGO (groups A, B and C) for prognosis or pathological findings in all the clinical stages. The prognoses of groups A, B and C were significantly better than that of group D for patients with clinical stages IA2–IB disease. Tumors without GGO on CT had a significantly larger number of positive N, ly, v and STAS in almost all stages than tumors with GGO on CT. Tumors without GGO on CT had significantly more solid predominant and less lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: Not the proportion of GGO, but its presence on CT, as well as the size of the solid component, were correlated significantly with pathological characteristics and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to identify patients at a high risk of recurrence using preoperative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 567 patients who underwent screening and 1,216 who underwent external validation for clinical stage I NSCLC underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy. Staging was used on the basis of the 8th edition of the tumor–node–metastasis classification. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors for RFS. Results: A multivariable Cox analysis identified solid component size (hazard ratio [HR], 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–2.12; P < 0.001) and pure solid type (HR, 1.82; 95% CI 1.11–2.96; P = 0.017) on HRCT findings as independent prognostic factors for RFS. When patients were divided into high-risk (n = 331; solid component size of >2 cm or pure solid type) and low-risk (n = 236; solid component size of ≤2 cm and part solid type) groups, there was a significant difference in RFS (HR, 5.33; 95% CI 3.09–9.19; 5-year RFS, 69.8% vs. 92.9%, respectively; P < 0.001). This was confirmed in the validation set (HR, 5.32; 95% CI 3.61–7.85; 5-year RFS, 72.0% vs. 94.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusions: In clinical stage I NSCLC, patients with a solid component size of >2 cm or pure solid type on HRCT were at a high risk of recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of the children with SARS-CoV-2 infection present with respiratory symptoms, hence various chest imaging modalities have been used in the management. Knowledge about the radiological findings of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in children is limited. Hence, we systematically synthesized the available data that will help in better management of COVID-19 in children.Methods: Four different electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CENTRAL) were searched for articles reporting radiological findings in children with COVID-19. Studies reporting thoracic radiological findings of COVID-19 in patients aged <19 years were included. A random-effect meta-analysis (wherever feasible) was performed to provide pooled estimates of various findings.Results: A total of 1984 records were screened of which forty-six studies (923 patients) fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan was the most frequently used imaging modality. While one-third of the patients had normal scans, a significant proportion (19%) of clinically asymptomatic children had radiological abnormalities too. Unilateral lung involvement (55%) was frequent when compared with bilateral and ground-glass opacities were the most frequent (40%) definitive radiological findings. Other common radiological findings were non-specific patchy shadows (44%), consolidation (23%), halo sign (26%), pulmonary nodules and prominent bronchovascular marking. Interstitial infiltration being the most frequent lung ultrasound finding.Conclusion: CT scan is the most frequently used imaging modality for COVID-19 in children and can detect pneumonia before the appearance of clinical symptoms. Undefined patchy shadows, grand-glass opacities and consolidation are commonly observed imaging findings in COVID-19 pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumothorax had been reported in a few patients COVID-19. However, the significance and frequency of this association remains unclear. We report a 42-year-old man with COVID-19 disease who presented with left-sided hydropneumothorax. We managed the patient with intercostal tube drainage underwater seal, oxygen inhalation, injections remedesivir, dexamethasone, and ceftriaxone. The repeat computerised tomography scan of chest after 10 days revealed reduction in the left hydropneumothorax; no features suggestive of COVID-19 viral pneumoniawre evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the ability of using mean computed tomography (mCT) values to predict non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor recurrence.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 494 patients with stage IA NSCLC. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was used to assess the ability to use mCT value, C/T ratio, tumor size, and SUV to predict tumor recurrence. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent variables for the prediction of tumor recurrence.Results: The m-CT values were - 213.7 ± 10.2 Hounsfield Units (HU) for the recurrence group and - 594.1 ± 11.6 HU for the non-recurrence group (p < 0.0001). Recurrence occurred in 45 patients (9.1%). The tumor recurrence group was strongly associated with a high CT attenuation value, high C/T ratio, large solid tumor size, and SUV. The diagnostic value of mCT value was more accurate than the C/T ratio, excluding the pure ground-glass opacity and pure solid (0 < C/T ratio < 100) groups. The SUV and mCT are independent predictive factors of tumor recurrence.Conclusions: The evaluation of mCT values was useful for predicting recurrence after the limited resection of small-sized NSCLC, and may potentially contribute to the selection of suitable treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is recommended as a guideline for staging of lung cancer. However, for patients with pulmonary ground‐glass opacity (GGO) nodules who are supposed to have a relatively low risk of incidence of lymphatic metastasis, it remains uncertain whether PET/CT is more effective than consolidation‐to‐tumor ratio (CTR) in the prediction of regional lymphatic metastasis. Methods: The data on patients who underwent surgery for lung cancer from 2011 to 2016 were collected retrospectively, which included CTR, results of PET/CT, and pathological characteristics. The patients who had undergone preoperative PET/CT were identified to find the risk factors for lymphatic metastasis. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multiple logistic regression was utilized to clarify the predictive value of CTR and main tumor maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Results: Among 217 patients who had PET/CT before lobectomy, chest computed tomography revealed that 75 patients had CTR greater than 62%. The patients with lymphatic metastasis were shown to have higher CTR and higher main tumor SUVmax. Multiple logistic regression showed that younger age (<60 years), higher main tumor SUVmax on PET/CT, and greater CTR were independent predictive factors for lymphatic metastasis. The area under the ROC curve was comparable, 0.817 for CTR, and 0.816 for main tumor SUVmax. Conclusions: The present study revealed that CTR was not inferior to main tumor SUVmax considering the predictive power for lymphatic metastasis preoperatively in lung cancer patients with a GGO component. PET/CT might not be necessary preoperatively in selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a validation study to confirm the prognostic importance of the presence of a ground-glass opacity component based on data of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group study, JCOG0201, which was a prospective observational study to predict the pathological noninvasiveness of clinical stage IA lung cancer in Japan. Among the 811 patients registered in JCOG0201, 671 were confirmed eligible by study monitoring and a central review of computed tomography. Registered c-stage IA lung cancer was less than 30 mm in maximum tumor size, which was classified into a with ground-glass opacity group (pure ground-glass opacity and part-solid tumor) or solid group based on the status of a ground-glass opacity component. T staging was reassigned in accordance with the 8th edition of the TNM staging system. To validate the prognostic impact, overall survival was estimated. Of the cases, 432 (64%) were in the with ground-glass opacity group and 239 (36%) were in the solid group with a median follow-up time of 10.1 years. The 5-year overall survival was significantly different between the with ground-glass opacity group and solid group (95.1% vs 81.1%). The 5-year overall survival was excellent regardless of the solid component size in the with ground-glass opacity group (c-T1a or less: 97.2%, c-T1b: 93.4%, c-T1c: 91.7%). In contrast, prognostic impact of the tumor size was definitive in the solid group (c-T1a: 87.5%, c-T1b: 85.9%, c-T1c: 73.7%). Favorable prognostic impact of the presence of a ground-glass opacity component was demonstrated in JCOG0201. The presence or absence of a ground-glass opacity should be considered as an important parameter in the next clinical T classification. This supplemental analysis aimed to confirm the prognostic importance of the presence of a GGO component based on data of the JCOG study, JCOG0201. Among the 671 eligible patients, 432 (64%) were classified in the with GGO group and 239 (36%) were classified in the solid group according to the radiological central review board. The 5-year OS was excellent regardless of the solid component size in the with GGO group, whereas prognostic impact of the tumor size was definitive in the solid group. The presence or absence of a GGO would be considered as an important parameter in the next clinical T classification. GGO, Ground-glass opacity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, PR China, was caused by a novel beta coronavirus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Purpose: To summarize chest computed tomography (CT) manifestations of the early stage of COVID-19 infection and provide a piece of reliable imaging evidence for initial screening and diagnosis. Material and Methods: From 10 January 2020 to 10 February 2020, we continuously observed chest CT imaging of 14 patients with clinically suspected new coronavirus infection in the two weeks after onset of symptoms. Ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, reticular pattern, and ground-glass mimic nodules in each patient's chest CT image were recorded. Results: We enrolled 14 patients, of which nine patients had the infection confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Five patients were highly suspected of infection. All cases had epidemiological evidence. GGO was a dominant imaging manifestation in the initial days of infection. GGO performance accounts for 40% in 1-2 days, 90% in 3-6 days, and 85% in 7-10 days. With disease progression, consolidation appeared on follow-up CT. Consolidation performance accounts for 0% in 1-2 days, 40% in 3-6 days, and 71% in 7- 10 days. The lesions are mostly near the pleura. The number of lesions and the extent of the lesions increased as the disease progressed. Conclusion: Patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia have characteristic CT features in the initial stage of infection, which can be used as an essential supplement for nucleic acid examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between ground-glass opacity (GGO) and tumour spread through air space (STAS), as well as their joint influence on the prognosis of stage I lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS A total of 620 consecutive patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma between January 2011 and December 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. The relevance of STAS and GGO was analysed by logistic regression, and their prognostic significance was investigated via the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression models. Furthermore, to determine the magnitude of the prognostic impact of GGO and STAS, we respectively performed survival analysis in subgroups according to the presence of STAS and GGO. RESULTS Of all 620 cases, 26.7% were positive for STAS, and 32.9% had a GGO component. STAS was present in 10.8% of part-solid lesions and 34.9% of pure solid nodules (P  < 0.001). Lepidic-predominant histologic subtype, GGO component and pathological T stage exhibited significant relevance to the presence of STAS. For the whole population, STAS and GGO component were each revealed as independent predictors for overall survival and recurrence-free survival (each with P  < 0.001). Interestingly, in the GGO-present subgroup, STAS failed to significantly stratify prognosis. However, in the STAS-positive subgroup, the presence of a GGO component was independently associated with favourable oncological results. CONCLUSIONS STAS is associated with a GGO component, and each factor was a significant predictor for the prognosis of stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the favourable prognostic impact of a GGO component was greater than the adverse prognostic influence of STAS, indicating that GGO is a more reliable prognostic predictor in stage I lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND. The presence of a ground-glass opacity (GGO) component is a favorable prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although the prognostic impact of a very small GGO component remains poorly investigated. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of a minor (≤ 10%) GGO component on the prognosis of clinical stage I NSCLC in comparison with pure-solid nodules. METHODS. This retrospective study included 382 patients (mean age, 60.8 years; 210 men, 172 women) who underwent surgical resection between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015, for clinical stage I NSCLC appearing on preoperative chest CT as a nodule with a consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR) of 0.9 to 1.0. Two radiologists independently assigned nodules to groups as either minor GGO (CTR, ≥ 0.9 and < 1.0) or pure solid (CTR = 1.0). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and compared between groups using log-rank tests. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess associations with outcomes. RESULTS. The two radiologists agreed for all nodules' classification into the minor-GGO ( n = 106) or pure-solid ( n = 276) groups. The mean CTR of the minor-GGO group was 0.93 ± 0.02 (SD) (range, 0.90-0.97). Minor-GGO nodules, in comparison with pure-solid nodules, showed greater solid-component diameter (2.68 vs 2.16 cm; p < .001) and total nodule diameter (2.89 vs 2.16 cm; p < .001). The minor-GGO group, in comparison with the pure-solid group, showed lower frequencies of visceral pleural invasion (6.6% vs 17.0%, p = .009) and pathologic lymph node involvement (4.7% vs 20.3%, p < .001), and EGFR mutation (71.6% vs 39.9%; p < .001). The minor-GGO group, in comparison with the pure-solid group, showed better 5-year RFS (83.4% vs 55.0%; p < .001) and higher frequency of better 5-year CSS (92.4% vs 76.4%, p = .004). In multivariable analysis adjusting for patient, imaging, pathologic, and genetic factors, a minor-GGO component was independently associated with a decreased likelihood of recurrence (HR = 0.37, p = .001) but not with the likelihood of CSS. CONCLUSION. Among patients with clinical stage I NSCLC, cancers with a minor-GGO component were associated with a better prognosis versus those with a pure-solid appearance. CLINICAL IMPACT. Radiologists encountering predominantly solid nodules on CT should carefully assess images for even a minor-GGO component given the favorable prognosis.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is an enveloped single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family of betacoronaviruses. Chest computed tomography (CT) has helped us in understanding this new disease. Typical CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia are ground-glass opacities (GGO), crazy paving pattern and GGO with superimposed consolidation with a basal, posterior and peripheral lung predilection. Less commonly bronchial wall thickening, bronchial dilatation and pleural thickening are seen. Presence of pleural effusion, pericardial effusion and mediastinal lymphadenopathy is seen in severe cases. Reticulations, fibrous stripes, reverse halo sign and perilobular opacities are seen late (>2 weeks) in the course of illness. We aim to present a pictorial review of CT imaging findings in COVID-19 to illustrate the typical and atypical manifestations of this disease in a bid to familiarize radiologists with the myriad imaging manifestations of this disease.

A male patient with severe pneumonia due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which developed in the second week since the first symptoms and improved without mechanical ventilation. The patient had epilepsy as a comorbid disease and his routinely consumed antiepileptic drugs were likely to cause alterations of the immune system. Ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, and reticular pattern are typical radiological features of COVID-19 pneumonia. Less common findings were septal thickening, bronchiectasis, pleural thickening, and subpleural involvement. These radiological abnormalities evolve throughout the course of the disease. In this case report, a GGO lesion was seen in thin-section CT scans on the 30th and 45th day since the onset of symptoms. The consolidation subsided with time and on the 65th day, minimal GGO was seen in CT scan without pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiectasis.

Abstract Background A deep learning computer artificial intelligence system is helpful for early identification of ground glass opacities (GGOs). Methods Images from the Lung Image Database Consortium and Image Database Resource Initiative (LIDC-IDRI) database were used in AlexNet and GoogLeNet to detect pulmonary nodules, and 221 GGO images provided by Xinhua Hospital were used in ResNet50 for detecting GGOs. We used computed tomography image radial reorganization to create the input image of the three-dimensional features, and used the extracted features for deep learning, network training, testing, and analysis. Results In the final evaluation results, we found that the accuracy of identification of lung nodule could reach 88.0%, with an F-score of 0.891. In terms of performance and accuracy, our method was better than the existing solutions. The GGO nodule classification achieved the best F-score of 0.87805. We propose a preprocessing method of red, green, and blue (RGB) superposition in the region of interest to effectively increase the differentiation between nodules and normal tissues, and that is the innovation of our research. Conclusions The method of deep learning proposed in this study is more sensitive than other systems in recent years, and the average false positive is lower than that of others.

Xiaoyi Qin,1 Xiaolong Gu,2 Yingru Lu,3 Wei Zhou3 1Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pneumology, Ningbo Yinzhou No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation testing is restricted to several limitations. In this study, we examined the relationship between EGFR mutation status and clinicoradiological characteristics in a Chinese cohort of patients. Materials and methods: The data of patients who were diagnosed with lung carcinoma and underwent both EGFR testing and chest computed tomography (CT) at our hospital between January 1, 2011, and November 31, 2015, were retrospectively analyzed. The age, sex, and smoking index of the patients, the size, margin, and density of the tumor, and the presence of specific signs visible on the CT images were assessed. Results: The results showed a higher rate of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-sensitive group than nonsensitive group in female patients and patients with a low smoking index (P

Re‐expansion pulmonary edema is a rare complication that may occur after chest drainage performed for pneumothorax. This condition manifests as areas of ground‐glass opacities (GGO) and septal thickening on imaging studies. In the case reported here, chest computed tomography (CT) showed diffuse ground‐glass opacity secondary to ruptured bullae in a patient who underwent chest tube drainage for pneumothorax, suggesting re‐expansion pulmonary edema. Histopathological examination of lung tissue resected from the vicinity of the bullae showed focal adenocarcinoma, which was masked by re‐expansion pulmonary edema on preoperative computed tomography. Right upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed on postoperative day 3.

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of chest CT in differentiating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 causes of ground-glass opacities (GGO). Results: A total of 80 patients (49 males and 31 females, 46.48 ± 16.09 years) confirmed with COVID-19 by RT-PCR and who underwent chest CT scan within 2 weeks of symptoms, and 100 patients (55 males and 45 females, 48.94 ± 18.97 years) presented with GGO on chest CT were enrolled in the study. Three radiologists reviewed all CT chest exams after removal of all identifying data from the images. They expressed the result as positive or negative for COVID-19 and recorded the other pulmonary CT features with mention of laterality, lobar affection, and distribution pattern. The clinical data and laboratory findings were recorded. Chest CT offered diagnostic accuracy ranging from 59 to 77.2% in differentiating COVID-19- from non-COVID-19-associated GGO with sensitivity from 76.25 to 90% and specificity from 45 to 67%. The specificity was lower when differentiating COVID-19 from non-COVID-19 viral pneumonias (30.5–61.1%) and higher (53.1–70.3%) after exclusion of viral pneumonia from the non-COVID-19 group. Patients with COVID-19 were more likely to have lesions in lower lobes (p = 0.005), peripheral distribution (p < 0.001), isolated ground-glass opacity (p = 0.043), subpleural bands (p = 0.048), reverse halo sign (p = 0.005), and vascular thickening (p = 0.013) but less likely to have pulmonary nodules (p < 0.001), traction bronchiectasis (p = 0.005), pleural effusion (p < 0.001), and lymphadenopathy (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Chest CT offered reasonable sensitivity when differentiating COVID-19- from non-COVID-19-associated GGO with low specificity when differentiating COVID-19 from other viral pneumonias and moderate specificity when differentiating COVID-19 from other causes of GGO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease caused by the novel "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2" (SARS-CoV-2) and is rapidly spreading worldwide. This review is designed to highlight the most common clinical features and computed tomography (CT) signs of patients with COVID-19 and to elaborate the most significant signs indicative of COVID-19 diagnosis. This review involved five original articles with both clinical and radiological features of COVID-19 published during Jan and Mar 2020. In this review, the most frequent symptoms of COVID-19 were fever and cough. Myalgia, fatigue, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, and dyspnea were less common manifestations. Nausea and vomiting were rare. Ground-glass opacity (GGO) was the most common radiological finding on CT, and mixed GGO with consolidation was reported in some cases. In addition, elevated C-reactive protein and lymphopenia are the pertinent laboratory findings of COVID-19. CT is an effective and important imaging tool for both diagnosis and follow-up COVID-19 patients with varied features, duration, and course of the disease. Bilateral GGOs, especially in the periphery of the lungs with or without consolidation, are the hallmark of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently the Coronavirus pandemic presented with different manifestations in different parts of the world, both on clinical examinations and on imaging. CT Scanning (CT Scan) chest is used for detailed evaluation of the different characteristic patterns determining the depth of disease. The study is aimed to assess the variations in spectrum of Covid-19 CT findings and relating severity (CT Severity Score) with the Clinical Symptoms in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients referred to radiology department from outdoor for COVID screening were included from 1st May to 30th June 2020. Mean age range of patients was calculated, while presenting complaints and co-morbidities were tabulated in frequencies and percentages after analysis. Severity of symptoms and CT findings were correlated with biochemical and haematological tests. Results: Patients' age range from 25 to 85 years with 62% males and 38% females. Statistically no significant difference was observed in CTSS on gender basis. As sensitivity of RT PCR is about 70%, negative cases cannot be considered disease free and this is seen in this study as CT findings suggestive of COVID are seen in these patients. Using 40-point CT-SS, 11 patients had a score of >19 with severe diseases, while 14 patients had common disease with a score range of 11-18 and 35 patients had <10 score with mild or no symptoms. Conclusion: In this study, a spectrum of patchy ground glass opacities, bilateral peripheral predominantly lower lung consolidations were observed. Quantitative analysis of inflammatory process as occurring in lungs in Coronavirus Disease 2019, using 40-point CTSS scoring on Imaging could provide a timely and objective approach towards identifying patients requiring intensive care and hospitalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our aim was to investigate the prognostic impact of the lepidic component on T stage in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: A retrospective data set including 863 cases of LUAD with lepidic component and 856 cases without lepidic component was used to identify matched lepidic-positive and lepidic-negative cohorts (n = 376 patients per group) using a propensity-score matching. Primary outcome variables included recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Prognostic factors were assessed by Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier estimates. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that lepidic component presence was an independent prognostic factor for prolonged RFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001). Furthermore, lepidic ratio (LR) >25% or ⩽25% were confirmed to be independent prolonged survival predictors. No survival differences were observed between patients with LUAD with LR >25% or ⩽25% (RFS p = 0.333; OS p = 0.078). The 5-year OS rates of patients with LUAD with a lepidic component were 90% regardless of the T stage, and these survival rates were significantly better than those of patients with LUAD without a lepidic component in the corresponding T stage. Multivariate analysis confirmed that T stage was associated with survival only in patients with LUAD without a lepidic component. Conclusions: Lepidic component presence identifies a LUAD subgroup with an excellent prognosis independent of the LR, pathological T classification. Considering the lepidic component presence may improve prognostic predictions for patients with LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After the spread of COVID-19 pneumonia, chest CT examination was used as a substantial non-invasive complement to RT-PCR for diagnosing and as a rapid screening tool when RT-PCR results are unavailable. Our study aimed at the analysis of the lung abnormalities detected by chest CT in COVID-19 pneumonia according to the severity and duration of symptoms. Results: In the early phase (n = 60), 32 patients had negative CT findings and 28 patients had positive findings with a mean total lung severity score of 2.13. In the intermediate phase (n = 116), 4 patients had negative CT findings and 112 patients had positive findings with a mean total lung severity score of 16.08. In the late phase (n = 36), all patients had positive findings with a mean total lung severity score of 17.83. CT lung abnormalities were progressed on follow-up CT studies. We found a high total lung severity score in many patients with mild symptoms with a mean of 14.77 and a low total lung severity score in many patients with moderate to severe symptoms with a mean of 9.14. Conclusion: Chest CT should be used as a routine examination for diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia and follow-up of disease advance. The progression of lung abnormalities was related to the duration more than the severity of symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The management of ground‐glass opacities (GGOs) depends mainly on personal experience. In clinical practice, benign GGOs are not rare in resected specimens, for which operations may be avoided. We retrospectively compared the clinical features of resected GGOs to identify differential diagnostic characteristics. Methods: Among 1456 patients with suspected malignant GGOs who underwent surgical resection, 105 patients (35 with benign GGOs and 70 matched controls with malignant GGOs) were included. Clinical characteristics, including demographics and radiologic, surgical and pathologic characteristics, were collected. Results: The smoking index (P = 0.044), frequency of coughing (P = 0.026), GGO size (P = 0.003), size change during follow‐up (P = 0.011), location (P = 0.022), presence of air bronchogram sign (P = 0.004), distance to the pleura (P = 0.021) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) appearance (P = 0.003) showed significant differences between the benign and malignant groups. Pathologically, the resected benign GGOs included focal fibrosis (17), inflammation or infection (seven), lymphoproliferative disorder (one), hamartoma (three), inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (two), hemangioma or vascular malformation (two), endometriosis (two) and pulmonary cyst (one). Conclusions: A higher smoking index, coughing, larger size, similar or increased size during follow‐up, location in the upper and middle lobes, air bronchogram sign on CT, lesion margin to pleura distance over 1 cm, and malignant tendency on PET/CT reports were associated with malignant GGOs. Relatively active surgical interventions could be considered for GGOs highly suspected of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although it is generally considered that ground-glass opacity (GGO) is less invasive and sublobar resection is adopted, recurrence still occurs in these patients. The risk factors that affect GGO recurrence need to be re-evaluated. Materials and Methods: We collect retrospectively the data of GGO patients and study the risk factors of tumor recurrence. Patients with T1N0M0 lung adenocarcinoma who underwent lung resection from 2011 to 2016 were enrolled in the study. The collected variables included GGO size, solid part size, consolidation/tumor ratio (CTR), clinical T stage, surgical procedure, and pathology report, from which the risk factors affecting tumor recurrence were analyzed. Results: A total of 28 recurred in 694 patients. Risk factors include age, tumor size, solid part size, CTR ≥50%, and surgical procedures. After multivariate analysis, the only risk factor was CTR ≥50% that will affect tumor recurrence (hazard ratio: 6.789, P < 0.001). Conclusion: CTR ≥50% is a risk factor affecting GGO recurrence. Clinicians should be more careful with such tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the treatment effect of chemotherapy on ground-glass opacity (GGO)-featured lung adenocarcinoma radiologically and pathologically. Methods: This retrospective study included patients who met the following criteria: (1) presence of lung GGO lesions before chemotherapy for other concurrent malignancies; (2) underwent surgical resection of GGO-featured primary lung adenocarcinoma. The last computed tomography images before chemotherapy (CT1) and the last images before GGO resection (CT2) were reviewed to assess radiologic response. Specimens of the resected tumors were reviewed to evaluate the histopathologic response. Immunohistochemical staining of ki-67, caspase-3 and β-gal was performed and compared between these tumors and a propensity score-matched (1:1) cohort of GGO-featured lung adenocarcinoma without prior chemotherapy. Results: Forty-four patients with 55 GGO lesions were included. There were 20 mixed GGOs and 22 invasive adenocarcinomas. These patients all received at least three cycles of chemotherapy for other concurrent malignancies in breast, lung, cervix, ovary or rectum. Thirty-four (77%) patients received chemotherapy regimens that contained platinum, pemetrexed, paclitaxel, docetaxel or gemcitabine. The median interval between CT1 and CT2 was 10 months. Radiologically, all the GGO lesions either remained unchanged or enlarged. There was no chemotherapy-induced histopathologic response (necrosis, fibrosis or inflammation) in any of these tumors. The protein expression of ki-67, caspase-3 and β-gal was comparable between GGO-featured lung adenocarcinoma with or without prior chemotherapy. Conclusion: GGO-featured lung adenocarcinoma has no response to chemotherapy. For these patients, chemotherapy should not be a treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Negative ctDNA may predict low risk of recurrence in operated stage I lung adenocarcinoma. • Whether ctDNA positive are more likely to relapse need further follow up to validate. • TP53 is associated with malignant progression in stage I lung adenocarcinoma. The application of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring after resection in pathologic(p) stage I lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients remains controversial and it is of great clinical interest to decipher the difference of genetic features between ground-glass opacity (GGO) and solid nodules (non-GGO) subgroups. We aim to assess the utility of ctDNA in tracking early recurrence or metastasis following surgery and reveal the genetic differences between GGO and non-GGO. Tumor tissues and matched postoperative plasma samples were collected from a total of 82 (p)stage I LUAD patients. Comprehensive genomic profiling was performed using capture-based hybrid next generation sequencing by targeting 422 cancer relevant genes. EGFR and TP53 represent commonly mutated genes in this cohort of (p)stage I lung adenocarcinoma, followed by alterations in ALK , PIK3CA , STK11 and MYC. For a median follow-up period of 22.83 months after surgery, 65 out of 67 ctDNA-negative patients remained progression-free, while 3 out of 15 ctDNA-positive patients progressed P = 0.040; positive predictive value = 0.20, 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.04−0.48; negative predictive value = 0.97, 95 % CI, 0.9–1]. With time-dependent Cox regression analysis, we observed that ctDNA positivity significantly correlated with increased probability of early tumor recurrence or metastasis (P = 0.02, HR=8.5). Further comparison between GGO and non-GGO subgroups indicated the frequency of TP53 mutations in non-GGO was markedly higher than that in GGO (47 % vs 21 %, P < 0.05). Pathway analysis showed the epigenetic regulation pathway was more frequently affected in GGO subgroup, while impaired apoptosis/cell cycle pathway was more enriched in non-GGO LUADs. Our longitudinal ctDNA monitoring data showed that undetectable ctDNA may predict low risk of tumor recurrence or metastasis in postoperative (p)stage I LUAD patients, while it requires further investigation on how robust the positive ctDNA results could predict tumor relapse in these patients. NCT03172156. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pirfenidone (PFD), an anti-fibrosis drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), suppresses disease progression and delays decline of forced vital capacity. However, this drug rarely makes marked improvement of pulmonary function, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings and hypoxia. Case presentation: A 59 year-old-man, who was a former smoker and had a history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, developed exertional dyspnea and was referred to our hospital. HRCT showed honeycomb changes with surrounding ground-glass opacity (GGO) in a predominantly basal and subpleural distribution. He was diagnosed with IPF and the treatment with PFD was started. At 16 months after the start of treatment, the predicted forced vital capacity value markedly improved from 82.9% to 98.6%. His resting-state partial pressure of arterial oxygen while breathing room air increased from a minimum of 54.7 mmHg (at 2 months treatment) to 72.5 mmHg. The GGO observed at diagnosis disappeared in HRCT. But after 32 months of treatment, his general condition got worse gradually, and he died from chronic progression of IPF after 48 months of treatment. Conclusion: Our case suggests that a complication of chronic liver disease and the existence of GGO may be characteristics of super-responder to PFD treatment for IPF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: During the novel coronavirus pandemic, great challenges are becoming prominent, such as early and rapid diagnoses using simple and readily available tests. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan plays a major role in the diagnosis and monitoring of the complications with high specificity. The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy of nonenhanced chest CT scan in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease in suspected patients. Materials and Methods: Eighty four suspected patients were included in this retrospective study from March 1, 2020, to April 1, 2020, who underwent both nonenhanced chest CT scan and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 disease. Results: The total number of initial reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR-positive results was 52 (61.9%) patients and that of negative results was 32 (38%) patients. Out of the total number of positive RT-PCR tests, only fifty (96%) patients showed positive CT findings. Of the total number of negative RT-PCR tests (32 [38%] patients), only 8 (25%) patients showed negative CT results. With RT-PCR results as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and the accuracy of chest CT in indicating the COVID-19 infection were 96.15%, 25%, and 69.04%, respectively. Ground-glass opacity (GGO) was seen in all positive CT patients (74 [100%]), mixed GGO was seen in 27 (36.4%) patients, and consolidation was seen in 36 (48.6%) patients which was subsegmental in 28 (37.8%) patients. Vascular dilatation sign was seen in 61 (82.4%) patients, crazy paving sign was seen in 31 (41.9%) patients, reverse halo signs were seen in 23 (31%) patients, and air bronchogram was seen in 39 (52.7%) patients. Conclusions: Highly characteristic and specific bilateral multifocal GGOs were reported as the classical/typical chest CT features of COVID-19 infection with high confidence rate, although it may vary in different patients' parameters and stages so that chest CT imaging has very high sensitivity (96.15%) for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in epidemic areas with high pretest probability for disease, and it is recommended to be included as a decision-making diagnostic test in suspected patients with RT-PCR-negative results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To describe the ground-glass opacities (GGO) seen in chest CT scans of COVID-19 patients and to estimate the association between these opacities and the time of clinical presentation. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 81 COVID-19 confirmed patients in Imam Al-Hussein Medical city in Karbala-Iraq during the period from March 1 to April 20, 2020. Chest CT scan findings were evaluated by two radiologists and categorized accordingly. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The mean age ± standard deviation of patients was 53.5 ± 17.1 years, with male predominance as 63 (77.8%) of cases were males. Nearly half of the patients were presented within the second week of starting the sign and symptoms. GGO was present in 79 scans (97.5%), followed by consolidation opacity in 29 patients (35.8%). Four types of GGO were described. Bilateral multiple subpleural GGO was the most prevalent type. There was a significant association between late time of patient presentation and more extensive GGO type. Conclusion Chest CT scan is valuable in diagnosis and management of COVID-19 cases. The presence of GGO in CT scan of a patient that previously had no chest illness is highly suggestive of COVID-19 disease, different types of GGO were seen. Bilateral confluent type of GGO is associated with more serious and delayed status and warns the need for intensive care unit admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Wuhan, China, the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported on December 8, 2019. The patient's symptoms included fever, coughing and breathing difficulties. According to the sixth China version of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnostic criteria, some patients with COVID-19 may present atypical symptoms and have negative nucleic acid tests (NATs), possibly leading to misdiagnosis and viral transmission. Our patient was a 29-year-old woman who complained of a three-day history of nasal obstruction, and no fever, coughing or breathing difficulties were noted. Physical examination revealed no obvious signs of pneumonia. On January 16, 2020, the patient flew from Wuhan to Germany for a business trip and returned to Shanghai on January 28, a passenger on her flight was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 later. Although two consecutive NATs performed at an interval of 24 h were negative, considering her direct contact with a SARS-CoV-2-infected individual, a 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scan showed a few scattered ground-glass nodules in the left lung, suggesting possible viral pneumonia. Given the clinical characteristics, epidemiological records, CT findings and a third positive NAT, our patient was diagnosed with COVID-19. The combination of history of epidemiology, clinical symptom, lung CT scan and routine blood test will improve the clinical diagnosis of asymptomatic COVID-19, but the early diagnosis of COVID-19 can be confirmed only by the repeated NATs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of guidance assistance during transbronchial biopsy (TBB) to achieve an appropriate pathway to small and peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) using a combination of fluoroscopy and specialized ray-summation (Ray-sumTBB) images, which were processed from preprocedural lung computed tomography (CT) images. To improve the visibility of the correct pathway to the PPLs, three-dimensional spatial resolution enhancement and CT number conversion processes were applied to the original CT images. The Ray-sumTBB images reconstructed from the processed CT images were used as additional guides. We compared the rates of successful tumor localization and biopsy (arrival rate) between the trial (with Ray-sumTBB) and control (without Ray-sumTBB) groups. The fluoroscopy and examination times were also compared. The arrival rate of the trial group (73.1%) was significantly better than that of the control group (42.3%) (p = 0.048). The fluoroscopy and examination times did not differ significantly between the trial and control groups. No complications were identified in the trial group. Our results suggest that Ray-sumTBB improves the diagnostic accuracy of TBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus. It involves multiple organ systems, including the lungs. However, the significance of the lung involvement in SFTS remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the clinical findings and abnormalities noted in the chest computed tomography (CT) of patients with SFTS. The medical records of 22 confirmed SFTS patients hospitalized in five hospitals in Nagasaki, Japan, between April 2013 and September 2019, were reviewed retrospectively. Interstitial septal thickening and ground-glass opacity (GGO) were the most common findings in 15 (68.1%) and 12 (54.5%) patients, respectively, and lung GGOs were associated with fatalities. The SFTS patients with a GGO pattern were elderly, had a disturbance of the conscious and tachycardia, and had higher c-reactive protein levels at admission (p = 0.009, 0.006, 0.002, and 0.038, respectively). These results suggested that the GGO pattern in patients with SFTS displayed disseminated inflammation in multiple organs and that cardiac stress was linked to higher mortality. Chest CT evaluations may be useful for hospitalized patients with SFTS to predict their severity and as early triage for the need of intensive care.

Abstract Background Dermatomyositis, an inflammatory myopathy with cutaneous involvement, is associated with malignancy and often manifests paraneoplastically. While co-occurrence with small cell carcinoma is well attested, primary lung adenocarcinoma, which may present as focal ground-glass opacification on computed tomography of the thorax, is less frequently coincident. Case presentation We report the case of a 72-year-old female patient with dermatomyositis — treated with a combination of prednisone, methotrexate, and intravenous immunoglobulin — and an indolent, subsolid, non-hypermetabolic pulmonary lesion, which was determined to be invasive primary lung adenocarcinoma. Supporting a paraneoplastic basis, immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued following tumor excision without relapse of signs or symptoms of dermatomyositis. Conclusions While dermatomyositis prodromal to lung adenocarcinoma is not without precedent, association with an indolent, subsolid lesion has, to the best of our knowledge, not been reported. The case described herein illustrates the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for malignancy in the setting of dermatomyositis.

Objectives: Peripheral lung nodules containing ground-glass opacity (GGO), which include both pure GGN (nodules that contain only GGO) and part-solid GGN (nodules that contain both GGO and consolidation), are difficult to diagnose by conventional transbronchial biopsy (TBB) because they are not visible by fluoroscopy. Recently developed endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided TBB is useful for diagnosing these nodules. This study was performed to clarify the contribution of EBUS to the diagnostic yield of TBB for peripheral lung nodules containing GGO. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 41 patients (21 male, 20 female; median age, 72 years) with peripheral lung pure GGN or part-solid GGN who underwent EBUS-guided TBB. Results: The median diameter of the target lesions was 18.6 mm (range, 8.8–46.7 mm). There were seven pure GGN lesions and 34 part-solid GGN lesions. The total diagnostic yield was 65.9% (27/41). EBUS images could be obtained (positive) in 30 (73.1%) patients. Among the clinical factors studied, only a positive EBUS finding was significantly associated with a higher diagnostic yield (p=0.018). Diagnostic yield tended to be higher in patients with a positive CT bronchus sign (presence of a bronchus leading directly to the target lesion) and increased consolidation-to-tumor ratio. Conclusions: EBUS-guided TBB is useful for diagnosing GGN or part-solid GGN. Obtaining positive EBUS findings is important for successful TBB for lesions containing GGO.

In this report, we describe an unusual manifestation of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). The patient is a 43‐year‐old non‐smoking female without underlying hematologic or auto‐immune disorder. Her initial presentation included non‐specific respiratory symptoms (exertional dyspnoea and cough), an unremarkable physical examination, a mild elevation in her serum level of lactate dehydrogenase, a mild impairment in the diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide but a normal spirometry, and multiple ground‐glass opacities with a “crazy‐paving” pattern predominantly in upper lung zones on her chest radiographic images. PAP was diagnosed histologically. PAP commonly occurs in males with smoking history, and tends to affect the lung parenchyma diffusely or, as in auto‐immune PAP, lower lobes predominantly. Upper‐lobe predominant PAP, particularly in a non‐smoking female, is rare. This report would add PAP to the list of differential diagnosis for upper‐lung ground‐glass opacities. A review on the relevant literature is also included in the discussion.