Volume 26, Issue 124, June 2022

CT derived pulmonary vascular indices and severity of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients: A retrospective study

Avinash P Dhok¹, Suruchi Dhawan^2♦, Rajcee M Chajjed³, Kajal Mitra⁴

¹M.D. (Radiodiagnosis), Professor and Head of Department, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, NKP Salve institute of medical sciences and Lata Mangeshkar hospital, Digdoh hills, Hingna road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
²MBBS, Junior resident, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, NKP Salve institute of medical sciences and Lata Mangeshkar hospital, Digdoh hills, Hingna road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
³MBBS, Junior resident, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, NKP Salve institute of medical sciences and Lata Mangeshkar hospital, Digdoh hills, Hingna road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
⁴M.D. (Radiodiagnosis), Professor, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, NKP Salve institute of medical sciences and Lata Mangeshkar hospital, Digdoh hills, Hingna road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

^♦Corresponding author
MBBS, Junior resident, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, NKP Salve institute of medical sciences and Lata Mangeshkar hospital, Digdoh hills, Hingna road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India;

ABSTRACT

Context: The currently on-going COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the abnormal lung parenchymal changes which can also alter pulmonary vascular hemodynamics. Aims: This study was aimed to assess CT derived pulmonary vascular indices in COVID 19 patients in different groups based on the extent of pneumonia using CT severity score. Settings and design: Retrospective study at COVID-19 care centre in central India. Methods and material: This study included 78 institutionalized patients who were confirmed COVID-19 positive status. All patients were assessed based on demographic data, CT severity score; CT derived pulmonary vascular indices such as main pulmonary artery diameter and the pulmonary artery to aorta ratio (PA/AO). Changes in these pulmonary vascular indices were determined in each mild, moderate and severe group of pneumonia. Results: Out of 78 patients, 25.6% patients belonged to mild group, 28.2% belonged to moderate group and 21.8% belonged to severe group. 70.5% of all patients were males and 29.5% were females. 11% males and 17.4% females showed increased pulmonary artery above normal limits. 4 males and 4 females with increased pulmonary artery diameter belonged to severe group of COVID 19 pneumonia while 8 out of 10 patients with increased PA/AO belonged to severe group of pneumonia extent. Conclusions: In this study, patients with pulmonary artery enlargement and increased PA/AO (PA/AO) were predominantly found to belong to severe group of COVID-19 pneumonia, a finding requiring further investigation which will help to predict pulmonary hypertension in COVID 19 patients which has an unfavourable outcome.

Keywords: COVID-19 (corona virus disease), Computed Tomography (CT), CT Severity Score, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR), PA/AO (pulmonary artery to aorta ratio)

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms218e2079

PDF

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i124/ms218e2079

Published: 13 June 2022