Radiological findings in lungs of patients with COVID-19 treated at a pediatric reference hospital in Peru, 2020.

Abstract

Background: Chest X-ray and computed tomography are tools used in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with COVID-19. Although, the radiological results of lung lesions may vary according to age and the stage of the disease. Objective: To describe the pulmonary radiological fi ndings of COVID-19 in patients of a pediatric reference hospital in Peru, 2020. Methodology: Observational, descriptive and retrospective study in patients under 18 years of age diagnosed with COVID-19. Medical records of patients with chest X-ray and/or computed tomography studies are reviewed. For the analysis, the SPSS v.22.0 software was obtained, in which frequencies and percentages were presented. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of the National Institute of Child Health. Results: Of 170 patients under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of COVID-19. 56.5% were male and 54.2% were older than 4 years. In the chest X-ray fi ndings, 25.9% participated in airspace compromise. The computed tomography study was performed on 14 patients, fi nding that 57.2% had compromised interstitium. In addition, 34.1% presented lesions in the bilateral perihilar area and 7.1% had a lesion in the left basal hilar area. Conclusion: approximately a quarter of the patients had airspace compromise on chest X-rays. In those who underwent computed tomography, more than half had involvement of the interstitium. The location with the highest frequency of lesions was in the bilateral perihilar zone and left basal hilum