Computed tomography surveillance helps tracking COVID-19 outbreak

Machitori, Akihiro; Noguchi, Tomoyuki; Kawata, Yusuke; Horioka, Nobuhiko; Nishie, Akihiro; Kakihara, Daisuke; Ishigami, Kousei; Aoki, Shigeki; Imai, Yutaka

PURPOSE: To reveal that a computed tomography surveillance program (CT-surveillance) could demonstrate the epidemiologic features of COVID-19 infection and simultaneously investigate the type and frequency of CT findings using clinical CT data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We targeted individuals with possible CT findings of viral pneumonia. Using an online questionnaire, we asked Japanese board-certified radiologists to register their patients’ information including patient age and sex, the CT examination date, the results of PCR test for COVID-19 infection, CT findings, and the postal code of the medical institution that performed the CT. We compared the diurnal patient number and the cumulative regional distribution map of registrations in CT-surveillance to those of the PCR-positive patient surveillance (PCR-surveillance). RESULTS: A total of 637 patients was registered from January 1 to April 17, 2020 for CT-surveillance. Their PCR test results were positive (n = 62.5–398%), negative (n = 8.9–57%), unknown (n = 26.2–167%), and other disease (n = 2.4–15%). An age peak at 60–69 years and male dominance were observed in CT-surveillance. The most common CT finding was bilaterally distributed ground-glass opacities. The diurnal number and the cumulative regional distribution map by CT-surveillance showed tendencies that were similar to those revealed by PCR-surveillance. CONCLUSION: Using clinical CT data, CT-surveillance program delineated the epidemiologic features of COVID-19 infection.