Study of the role of digital radiological examination in the diagnosis of lung changes in Coronavirus disease

Introduction. World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was a “public health emergency”. Тhe number of patients with COVID-19 and deaths from this disease are increasing every day, so the issue of diagnosis and treatment of this serious pathology remains relevant. Goal. To identify the key lung lesion patterns in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during digital radiological examination. To identify its capabilities in assessing the prevalence and dynamics of radiological manifestations of lung damage. Material and methods. The analysis of data of radiological examination of 1,075 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in moderate and severe conditions, who were treated in MNPE KRC “Regional Clinical Specialized Dispensary for Radiation Protection” in the period from June to November 2020 has been carried out. All the patients were given digital radiography at the time of treatment. To assess the dynamics the control examination depending on the clinical manifestations was held. The images were evaluated by two independent radio- logists. Pathological changes manifested in the form of matte, consolidation of parenchyma and reticular pattern. Results. The majority of the total number of the surveyed patients falls on the age group between 50 and 75 years old – 789 patients (73.4%). The most common pattern of lung lesion on the primary radiograph is a GGO symptom (82.7%), and in control examination there was an increase in the frequency of consolidation (53.4%), and then – fibrous changes of varying severity (62.5%). Bilateral lesion was detected in 74.8% of cases. Middle-lower and lower lobes of the lungs were more often affected. Conclusions. OCC CT should be used to detect pathological changes in COVID-19 in the early stages, and digital radiography can identify characteristic signs of lung lesion in inpatients with moderate to severe Coronavirus disease and is sufficient to assess the dynamics of the patholo- gical process. Digital radiography method should be included in the examination protocol of patients in moderate and severe conditions in the hospital due to the impossibility or difficulty of their transportation. If repeated examination in such patients is necessary much higher dose load on CT compared to digital radiography should be taken into account.