Can lung anatomy predict the development of COVID-19 pneumonia in RT-PCR positive cases?

Authors : Türker Acar, Raşit Eren Büyüktoka, Elif Aylin Yüce Yörük, Hülya Özkan Özdemir, Ali Murat Koç, Levent Altın, Mahmut Öksüzler, Mete Ertürk

Pages : 570-579

Doi:10.17826/cumj.1434628

View : 156 | Download : 291

Publication Date : 2024-09-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and anatomical characteristics, including tracheobronchial and fissure variations, right/left main bronchus angle, carina angle, and large airway diameter, in patients who tested positive for the virus via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the outset of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 165 cases with positive RT-PCR tests who were admitted between March and June 2020 and subsequently scanned with thin-section unenhanced chest computed tomography (CT). They were divided into two groups according to the presence of pneumonia based on the chest CT images. Results: In our study, a total of 165 cases were analyzed, pneumonia was found in 35 of 76 (46.05%) female patients and 51 of 89 (57.30%) male patients. COVID-19 pneumonia was observed in older age groups. Anatomical variations and the presence of incomplete fissures were statistically higher in the pneumonia-positive group, while the difference was not statistically significant for accessory fissures. Mean tracheal area and right main bronchus angle were statistically higher in the pneumonia-positive group compared to the negative patients. The right lung was more involved than the left in terms of both zonal and total lung involvement. When the presence of comorbidity was assessed, 59 patients (35.75%) were found to have comorbidity. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease were significantly higher among comorbidities in the pneumonia-positive group. The regression model showed that hypertension was associated with a 3.75-fold increase in COVID-19 pneumonia in test positive cases. Conclusion: Anatomical lung variations and incomplete fissures were observed more frequently in the COVID-19 pneumonia cases, independent of other comorbidities. We believe that there are anatomical variables that can be used to identify those predisposed to pneumonia in RT-PCR test positive cases.
Keywords : SARS-COV-2, COVID-19, pnömoni, toraks, akciğer, anatomik varyasyon, çok dedektörlü bilgisayarlı tomografi, komorbidite

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL