The Role of CO-RADS Scoring System in the Diagnosis of COVID-19 Infection and its Correlation with Clinical Signs

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Şenol Çomoğlu ◽  
Sinan Öztürk ◽  
Ahmet Topçu ◽  
Fatma Kulalı ◽  
Aydın Kant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoring System ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Ct Findings ◽  
Chronic Pulmonary Diseases ◽  
Ct Evaluation ◽  
The Difference

Background: Computed tomography (CT) evaluation systematics has become necessary to eliminate the difference of opinion among radiologists in evaluating COVID-19 CT findings. Introduction: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of CO-RADS scoring system in our patients with COVID-19 as well as to examine its correlation with clinical and laboratory findings. Method: The CO-RADS category of all patients included in the study was determined by a radiologist who did not know the rtRT-PCR test result of the patients, according to the Covid-19 reporting and data system of Mathias Prokop et al. Results: A total of 1338 patients were included. CT findings were positive in 66.3%, with a mean CO-RADS score of 3,4 ± 1,7. 444 (33.1%) of the patients were in the CO-RADS 1-2, 894 (66.9%) were in the CO-RADS 3-5 group. There were positive correlations between CO-RADS score and age, CMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic pulmonary diseases presence of symptoms, symptom duration, presence of cough, shortness of breath, malaise, CRP, and LDH, while CO-RADS score was negatively correlated with lymphocyte count. The results of the ROC analysis suggested that those with age ≥40 years, symptom duration >2 days, CMI score >1 and/or comorbid conditions were more likely to have a CO-RADS score of 3-5. Conclusion: The CO-RADS classification system is a CT findings assessment system that can be used to diagnose COVID-19 in patients with symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, myalgia and fatigue for more than two days.

A SEVERITY SCORING SYSTEM FOR OUTCOME PREDICTION IN CATS WITH PANCREATITIS

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (04) ◽  
pp. 269-275
Author(s):  
Bi-Ling Su ◽  
Shu-Yu Wang ◽  
Pin-Chen Liu
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Outcome Prediction ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Severity Scoring ◽  
Imaging Results ◽  
The Mean

In order to develop a clinically applicable severity scoring system in cats with pancreatitis, 41 cats diagnosed with pancreatitis and hospitalized between 2011 and 2013 with their complete medical history were selected for analysis. Clinical signs, physical examination findings, laboratory findings, diagnostic imaging results, complications and concurrent diseases were analyzed to evaluate potential prognostic factors and further establish the severity scoring system. The mortality of cats selected in this study due to pancreatitis was 48.8%. Abnormalities in hemoglobin, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, total bilirubin, phosphorous and blood pressure were significantly associated with disease severity and prognosis and were selected for constructing the system. The abnormal range for each variable was further partitioned into quartiles, which were recorded into categorical variables. The weighting factors were calculated from the odds ratios (OR) between each of the quartiles and the normal range category. The area under curve (AUC) of the six continuous variables system at presentation and after rehydration of the cats was 0.873 and 0.976, respectively. The scores of 41 cats after rehydration ranged from 7 to 36 points. The mean score was [Formula: see text], the median 17 points and the mode 32 points. The optimal cut-off point for outcome prediction was 17.5 with a sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity of 95.5%. The mortality was 95% with a [Formula: see text], whereas 4.8 % had a [Formula: see text]. The severity scoring system provides a reliable and clinically applicable method to predict disease severity in cats with pancreatitis.

scholarly journals Diagnostic value of Chest CT and Initial Real-Time RT-PCR in COVID-19 Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugur Kostakoglu ◽  
Aydın Kant ◽  
Serhat Atalar ◽  
Barış Ertunç ◽  
Şükrü Erensoy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Chest Ct ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Ct Findings ◽  
Group I ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Pcr Test

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the rtRT-PCR test and CT in patients presenting with typical clinical symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: The study with the participation of four center in Turkey was performed retrospectively from 20 March-15 April 2020 in 203 patients confirmed for COVID-19. The initial rtRT-PCR test was positive in 142 (70.0%) of the patients (Group-I) and negative in 61 patients (Group-II). Results: The mean age of the patients in Group-I was 49.7±18.0 years and the time between the onset of symptoms and admission to the hospital was 3.6±2.0 days; whereas the same values for the patients in Group-II were 58.1±19.9 and 5.3±4.2, respectively (p=0.004; p=0.026). Initial rtRT-PCR was found positive with 83.5% sensitivity and 74.1% PPV in patients with symptom duration of less than five days. It was found that rtRT-PCR positivity correlated negatively with the presence of CT findings, age, comorbidity, shortness of breath, and symptom duration, while rtRT-PCR positivity correlated positively with headache. Presence of CT findings was positively correlated with age, comorbidity, shortness of breath, fever, and the symptom duration. Conclusions: It should be noted that a negative result in the rtRT-PCR test does not rule out the possibility of COVID-19 diagnosis in patients whose symptom duration is longer than five days, who are elderly with comorbidities and in particular who present with fever and shortness of breath. In these patients, typical CT findings are diagnostic for COVID-19. A normal chest CT is no reason to loosen up measures of isolation in patients with newly beginning symptoms until the results are obtained from the PCR test. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2956 How to cite this:Kostakoglu U, Kant A, Atalar S, Ertunc B, Erensoy S, Dalmanoglu E, et al. Diagnostic value of Chest CT and Initial Real-Time RT-PCR in COVID-19 Infection. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(1):-234-238. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.2956 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals Features of community-acquired pneumonia treatment with 3rd generation cephalosporins in combination with azithromycin and as monotherapy

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-281
Author(s):  
R F Khamitov ◽  
I V Grigoreva
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Options ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Course Of Disease ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia

Aim. To refine the indications for oral administration of a combination of 3rd generation cephalosporins together with azithromycin and also as monotherapy in patients with moderate and severe community-acquired pneumonia. Methods. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the clinical and laboratory data on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10-14th days of treatment. The patients were included in the study if clinical signs of pneumonia were present, the disease occurred outside a hospital, and if there was radiological verification of lung tissue infiltration. The study included 77 patients (32 women and 45 men) aged 16 to 84 years. In 56 patients (73%) pneumonia had signs of a moderate course, in 21 (27%) - a severe course. Results. As a result of treatment the number of patients without shortness of breath significantly increased. The difference in comparison with the time of hospitalization was statistically significant starting from day 7 of treatment in patients treated with ceftriaxone and azithromycin (31 and 69%, p 0.05). Intergroup differences also became significant on the same time since treatment initiation (43% of patients on monotherapy, p 0.05). The increase in the proportion of patients without shortness of breath, receiving only ceftriaxone in comparison with the beginning of treatment became significant only by the 10th day (18 and 54%, p 0.05). Conclusion. A combination antibiotic therapy is indicated for patients with a severe course of disease and clinically significant dyspnea, as well as for women with a moderate community-acquired pneumonia with a productive cough. No significant differences in the safety and tolerability of the studied variants of treatment options have been revealed.

scholarly journals Changes in the levels of some cytokines when using blood purification in COVID-19 patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
Yu. S. Polushin ◽  
R. V. Аkmalova ◽  
D. V. Sokolov ◽  
I. V. Bovkun ◽  
E. G. Gavrilova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Lung Damage ◽  
Rapid Progression ◽  
Cytokine Storm ◽  
High Adsorption ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Potential Association ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Maximum Decrease ◽  
The Difference

The use of high-adsorption membrane hemofiltration in COVID-19 positive patients to reduce the severity of a cytokine storm is clearly beneficial but at the same time, there are no certain procedures for its practical use.The objective: to study the change in the levels of IL-6 and IL-18 in response to prolonged (24-72 hours) high-adsorption membrane hemofiltration.Subjects and methods. We retrospectively analyzed the data on IL-6 and IL-18 levels and their changes in 69 patients who were COVID-19 positive and had different degrees of lung damage, they had received high-adsorption membrane hemofiltration during their stay at the intensive care unit. The extent of lung lesions was the following: 4 people had CT-2, 44 people had CT-3, and 21 patients had CT-4. 18 patients had an unfavorable outcome of the disease. High-adsorption membrane hemofiltration (Prismaflex) was used in the group of patients who had clinical signs of the rapid progression of the disease and also such laboratory findings as elevated values of C-reactive protein (above 100 mg/L), ferritin (more than 600 μg/L), and progression of lymphopenia. This intervention lasted for 24 hours at CT-2/3, and 48 hours at CT-4. The effluent dose was 30.0 ± 6.4 ml/kg/h. The levels of IL-6, IL-18, and procalcitonin were tested before and after the completion of the intervention, and the difference between their concentration before and after high-adsorption membrane hemofiltration was calculated. The potential association between received data (IL-6, IL-18, delta of IL-6, delta of IL-18) and degree of lung damage and outcomes was analyzed.Results. It was detected that the more the lungs were affected, the lower levels of IL-6 and IL-18 were and vice versa and this correlation was not associated with the use of tocilizumab (used in 44 people). The maximum decrease in the level of cytokines was observed in the group of patients with CT-2. There was a significant association between the delta of IL-6 (F = 6.69; p ≤ 0.05) and the outcome which was especially pronounced in people with a favorable outcome.Conclusion. As the inflammation progresses in the lungs, the levels of IL-6 and IL-18 decrease which may be a manifestation of the depletion of the cytokine storm. The use of prolonged high-adsorption membrane hemofiltration (24-48 h) allows reducing the level of cytokines. The delta value reflects a decrease in IL-6 concentration, it significantly correlates with the outcome which indicates the importance of using this method in a continuous mode.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2/DENV co-infection: a series of cases from the Federal District, Midwestern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Luise Schulte ◽  
José Diego Brito-Sousa ◽  
Marcus Vinicius Guimarães Lacerda ◽  
Luciana Ansaneli Naves ◽  
Eliana Teles de Gois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Since the novel coronavirus disease outbreak, over 179.7 million people have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, including the population living in dengue-endemic regions, particularly Latin America and Southeast Asia, raising concern about the impact of possible co-infections. Methods Thirteen SARS-CoV-2/DENV co-infection cases reported in Midwestern Brazil between April and September of 2020 are described. Information was gathered from hospital medical records regarding the most relevant clinical and laboratory findings, diagnostic process, therapeutic interventions, together with clinician-assessed outcomes and follow-up. Results Of the 13 cases, seven patients presented Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Syndrome and six had pre-existing co-morbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension and hypopituitarism. Two patients were pregnant. The most common symptoms and clinical signs reported at first evaluation were myalgia, fever and dyspnea. In six cases, the initial diagnosis was dengue fever, which delayed the diagnosis of concomitant infections. The most frequently applied therapeutic interventions were antibiotics and analgesics. In total, four patients were hospitalized. None of them were transferred to the intensive care unit or died. Clinical improvement was verified in all patients after a maximum of 21 days. Conclusions The cases reported here highlight the challenges in differential diagnosis and the importance of considering concomitant infections, especially to improve clinical management and possible prevention measures. Failure to consider a SARS-CoV-2/DENV co-infection may impact both individual and community levels, especially in endemic areas.

scholarly journals Management of post-operative discitis following discectomy in a tertiary-level hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 230949902098821
Author(s):  
Md Kamrul Ahsan ◽  
Md Sariful Hasan ◽  
Md Shahidul Islam Khan ◽  
Najmus Sakeb
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Japanese Orthopaedic Association ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Disc Space ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Level Hospital

Purpose: To perform retrospective analysis of 75 post-operative disc space infections after open lumbar discectomy (OLD) and to assess the outcome of their medical and surgical management in a tertiary-level hospital. Methods: Records of 50 men and 25 women aged 26–65 (mean, 42.53) years who underwent treatment for post-operative discitis (POD) after single level OLD at L3–4 (n = 8), L4–5 (n = 42), L5–S1 (n = 25) level. The POD was diagnosed according to specific clinical signs, laboratory and radiographic investigations and all of them received initial intravenous antibiotics (IVA) for at least 4–6 weeks followed by oral ones. Successful responders (n = 55) were considered in Group-C and remainder [Group-S (n = 20)] were operated at least after 4 weeks of failure. Demographic data, clinical variables, hospital stay, duration of antibiotic treatment and post-treatment complications were collected from the hospital record and assessment before and after treatment were done by using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Comprehensive outcome was evaluated by modified criteria of Kirkaldy-Willis. Results: The mean follows up was 36.38 months. Significant improvement of mean VAS and JOA score was achieved in both conservative (76.36% satisfactory) and operative (90% satisfactory) groups although the difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Although insignificant, early surgical intervention provided better results (e.g. functional outcomes, length of hospital stay and duration of antibiotic treatment therapy) than conventional conservative treatment in post-operative discitis.

CT Findings in General Practice Patients with Suspected Acute Sinusitis

1996 ◽  
Vol 37 (3P2) ◽  
pp. 708-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lindbæk ◽  
U. L.-H. Johnsen ◽  
E. Kaastad ◽  
S. Dølvik ◽  
P. Møll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Interobserver Agreement ◽  
Acute Sinusitis ◽  
Fluid Level ◽  
Ct Findings ◽  
Kappa Value ◽  
Ct Evaluation ◽  
Common Combination ◽  
Maxillary Sinuses

Purpose: To study CT findings in general practice patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute sinusitis, and to examine the interobserver variation between 2 radiologists with regard to their CT evaluation. Material and Methods: Two hundred and one patients were examined with coronal CT images of the paranasal sinuses within 2 days of the clinical diagnosis. Patients with chronic sinusitis were excluded. Fluid level or total opacification of any sinus were used as evidence of sinusitis. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven (63%) patients had fluid level or total opacification in a sinus region, most in more than one region. One hundred and fifteen had CT signs of sinusitis in the ethmoid region, 84 in the maxillary, 18 in the frontal, and 10 in the sphenoid. Forty-nine patients had a negative CT. In the evaluation of interobserver agreement, the overall assessment of the CT yielded a kappa value of 0.70. Conclusion: The study demonstrated great variation in the CT findings in general practice patients with suspected acute sinusitis. More than one sinus region was affected in most patients in whom sinusitis was confirmed by CT imaging; the most common combination was ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. The interobserver agreement was substantial.

Shortness of Breath on Exertion: Diagnostic Possibilities of Stress Echocardiography

Kardiologiia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-68
Author(s):  
E. A. Karev ◽  
E. G. Malev ◽  
S. L. Verbilo ◽  
M. N. Prokudina
Keyword(s):  
Stress Echocardiography ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Diastolic Pressure ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Hyperventilation Syndrome ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Diagnostic Capabilities ◽  
Response To Exercise

Aim      To determine diagnostic capabilities of the expanded protocol for stress echocardiography (stress-EchoCG) with comprehensive evaluation of clinical and echocardiographic indexes in differential diagnosis of dyspnea.Material and methods This study included 243 patients (123 women and 120 men) who were referred to outpatient stress-EchoCG during one calendar month. For 80 patients complaining about shortness of breath, the expanded stress-EchoCG protocol with treadmill exercise was performed. During the exercise, E / e’ and tricuspid regurgitation velocity were determined, and clinical features and possible nature of dyspnea were evaluated.Results Shortness of breath had an ischemic origin in 17.5 % of 80 patients; 13.8 % had criteria of elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure; 17.5 % of patients had clinical signs of bronco-pulmonary pathology; 5.0 % had moderate and severe mitral regurgitation; 20 % displayed signs of chronotropic insufficiency during exercise including on the background of beta-blocker therapy; 15.0 % of patients displayed a hypertensive response to exercise, which was associated with signs of chronotropic insufficiency in 50 % of them; and 1.3 % had signs of hyperventilation syndrome. In addition to diagnosis of transient ischemia, additional information about the nature of shortness of breath was obtained for 72.5 % of patients. Based on results of the test, objective causes for dyspnea were not identified for 10.0 % of patients.Conclusion      The expanded stress-EchoCG protocol with exercise allows obtaining information about the nature of dyspnea for most patients with shortness of breath of a non-ischemic origin. For this patient category, expanding the stress-EchoCG protocol does not increase duration of the study and is economically beneficial for diagnosis of chronic heart failure and other causes for shortness of breath.

Platypnoea-orthodeoxia syndrome in the elderly: A difficult-to-make diagnosis of intracardiac right-to-left shunt

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico M Zardi ◽  
Silvia Spoto ◽  
Luciana Locorriere ◽  
Giulio Cacioli ◽  
Silvia Mazzaroppi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patent Foramen Ovale ◽  
Arteriovenous Malformations ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Vascular Complications ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Upright Position ◽  
Foramen Ovale ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
Hepatic Diseases ◽  
Chronic Pulmonary Diseases

Introduction Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is a combination of positional dyspnoea and hypoxemia; it is caused by several cardiac, pulmonary and hepatic diseases. Case presentation In this study, we describe a 77-year-old female affected by unexplained dizziness and hypoxia that exacerbated in upright position. After diagnosing platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome and excluding all possible causes (liver cirrhosis, acute and chronic pulmonary diseases and arteriovenous malformations), the origin of the syndrome was individuated in the presence of a patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunt. Endovascular patent foramen ovale closure permitted the resolution of symptoms and disappearance of platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome. Conclusion Although patent foramen ovale may be present since birth without giving clinical signs, it may represent a common enough cause of platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome and other vascular complications in the elderly.

Comparing Cephalic Index and Midsagittal Vector Analysis in Assessing Morphology in Sagittal Synostosis: A CT-Based Morphometric Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 944-952
Author(s):  
Brian Y. Hong ◽  
Emily S. Ho ◽  
Elizabeth Zellner ◽  
John H. Phillips ◽  
Christopher R. Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numeric Rating Scale ◽  
Vector Analysis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Global Rating ◽  
Cephalic Index ◽  
Sagittal Synostosis ◽  
Ct Evaluation ◽  
The Difference

Introduction: Assessment of cranial dysmorphism in sagittal synostosis is often subjective but objective measures can be applied. These include cephalic index (CI) and midsagittal vector analysis (MSVA). Objective: To assess discriminant validity, construct validity, and responsiveness of CI and MSVA measured from computed tomography (CT) in patients with sagittal synostosis. Methods: Patients with nonsyndromic isolated sagittal synostosis with complete preoperative (n = 30) and postoperative (n = 13) CT data were included. Age-matched control group (n = 24) comprised of normocephalic patients who underwent CT for reasons related to trauma. Outcome Measures: Retrospective CT evaluation of CI and MSVA was conducted and correlated with a dysmorphism numeric rating scale (D-NRS) that measured surgeon-rated severity of sagittal synostosis. Responsiveness of CI and MSVA was evaluated using dysmorphism global rating of change (D-GRC). Results: Thirty patients with sagittal synostosis were demographically similar to 24 normocephalic patients. The difference in CI and MSVA was statistically significant between normocephalic and scaphocephalic patients. Cephalic index had a good correlation with D-NRS ( r = −0.665, ρ = −0.667), but not with MSVA ( r = 0.250, ρ = 0.203). Change in CI ( r = 0.738, ρ = 0.657) was well correlated with D-GRC, but not with MSVA ( r = −0.409, ρ = −0.301). Conclusion: Cephalic index appears to quantify the severity of sagittal synostosis better than MSVA. Cephalic index also has better responsiveness than MSVA to measure a reduction in severity of disease; however, MSVA is a better descriptive craniometric measurement. Midsagittal vector analysis was able to quantify the shift in morphology in sagittal synostosis following surgical treatment.

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