High Resolution Computed Tomography Scan Findings of Chest among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients at a Dedicated Hospital in Dhaka City during the First Wave of Pandemic

Background: The use of chest imaging in COVID-19 can be especially useful for patients with moderate to severe symptoms or comorbidities. Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the high resolution computed tomography (CT) findings observed among the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients presented with pneumonia and to reveal the most frequent infiltration and distribution patterns of the disease. Methodology: This was a retrospective study. This study was performed in the Department of Radiology & Imaging at Kurmitola General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was the first dedicated COVID-19 hospital with a bed capacity of 500 and well-equipped ICU facilities. The recorded HRCT scan data were collected in the period from April 2020 up to May 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. As this was a retrospective study, verbal or written consent was not obtained from all potential participants or guardians. The available demographic data as well as the medical history of all data were collected and thoroughly reviewed from the record book. These patients were RT-PCR confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients presented with pneumonia and were admitted to Kurmitola General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. All these patients underwent HRCT scans of the chest. Result: A total number of 155 COVID-19 patients with HRCT scan were evaluated. The mean age with SD of the study population was 58.03 ± 14.08 years with the range of 22 to 97 years. The male and female ratio was 2.04:1. Fibrosis of the lungs and thickening of pleura were found in 38 (24.5%) cases and 33 (21.3%) cases respectively. The involvement of both lungs was found in 32 (20.6%) cases. The presence of pneumonitis and bronchiectasis were detected in 77 (49.7%) cases and 5 (3.2%) cases respectively. Left-sided mild pleural effusion was also noted in 6 (3.9%) cases. Ground glass opacity was found in different forms. The most common form was the presence of only ground glass opacities which was 63 (40.6%) cases. Bilateral ground-glass opacities were detected in 63 (40.6%) cases. Conclusion: In conclusion, HRCT scan of the chest shows the bilateral ground-glass opacities and fibrosis of the lungs with pneumonitis in most of the COVID-19 hospital admitted patients.

Resolution enhancement of optical scanning holography with a spiral modulated point spread function

In optical scanning holography, one pupil produces a spherical wave and another produces a plane wave. They interfere with each other and result in a fringe pattern for scanning a three-dimensional object. The resolution of the hologram reconstruction is affected by the point spread function(PSF) of the optical system. In this paper, we modulate the PSF by a spiral phase plate, which significantly enhances the lateral and depth resolution. We explain the theory for such resolution enhancement and show simulation results to verify the efficacy of the approach.

Role of Radiological Investigations of COVID-19 Patients with Pneumonia, Karachi Pakistan

The study was conducted to determine the role of radiological investigation in assessing the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia with the help of chest X-ray (CXR), high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), and ultrasound. This was a retrospective study conducted on 105 COVID-19 patients with symptoms of fever, cough, dyspnea, loss of sense of smell and taste, body ache. Diagnostic tests PCR were positive for COVID-19 included from Medicare Cardiac and General Hospital and Jinnah Medical College Hospital Korangi (JMCH) from April to November 2020. Written informed consent was taken from all participants. This study was approved by ethical review committee, Jinnah Medical & Dental College. Real time-PCR (RT-PCR) was done for the confirmation. Radiological imaging including Chest X-ray, HRCT chest, and ultrasound was done to study the severity of symptoms. Sixty-five patients had mild to moderate symptoms with oxygen saturation between 96% - 98% and 30 patients with severe pneumonia had between saturation 50% - 55%. Patients with mild symptoms were followed up by chest X-ray showing mostly normal chest X-rays but single or patches of ground glass opacities (HRCT). HRCT of 10 patients with low oxygen saturation 50% were already done showing bilateral peripheral patchy consolidation predominantly involving mid and lower lobes. 3 patients presented with patchy lung opacities and ultrasound showing similar findings with pleural effusion and ascites. Radiological imaging, specially CT-Scan was highly significant for diagnosing COVID-19 and severity of infection even in patients with negative PCR. Chest X-ray and ultrasound were also found to be a very useful tool.