Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Pediatric lung imaging features of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Gustavo Nino1,2, Jonathan Zember2,3,4, Ramon Sanchez-Jacob2,3,4
1Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Insights
This systematic review found that over a third of pediatric COVID-19 patients had normal chest CT scans. Lung imaging findings in children were generally less severe than in adults, suggesting potential for early diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Existing pediatric COVID-19 research is limited to small studies, hindering understanding of specific lung disease patterns.
- Comprehensive analysis of pediatric COVID-19 lung imaging is needed to establish typical presentations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze published studies on COVID-19 lung imaging in pediatric patients (0-18 years).
- To provide the first comprehensive summary of pediatric COVID-19 lung imaging findings.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed for studies on pediatric COVID-19 lung imaging.
- Inclusion of 29 articles with chest computerized tomography (CT) data from 1026 children.
- Single-arm meta-analysis to determine pooled prevalence and confidence intervals.
Main Results:
- 35.7% of pediatric COVID-19 patients exhibited normal chest CT scans; 27.7% had bilateral lesions.
- Common findings included ground-glass opacities (37.2%) and consolidations/pneumonic infiltrates (22.3%).
- Pediatric lung imaging findings were less frequent and severe compared to adults; typical viral infection signs were absent.
Conclusions:
- Chest CT manifestations in pediatric COVID-19 patients can aid in early identification and prompt intervention.
- Understanding these imaging patterns is crucial for managing pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Rationale:
Pediatric COVID-19 studies have been mostly restricted to case reports and small case series, which have prevented the identification of specific pediatric lung disease patterns in COVID-19. The overarching goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide the first comprehensive summary of the findings of published studies thus far describing COVID-19 lung imaging data in the pediatric population.
Methods:
A systematic literature search of PubMed was performed to identify studies assessing lung-imaging features of COVID-19 pediatric patients (0-18 years). A single-arm meta-analysis was conducted to obtain the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (95% CI).
Results:
A total of 29 articles (n = 1026 children) based on chest computerized tomography (CT) images were included. The main results of this comprehensive analysis are as follows: (1) Over a third of pediatric patients with COVID-19 (35.7%, 95% CI: 27.5%-44%) had normal chest CT scans and only 27.7% (95% CI: 19.9%-35.6%) had bilateral lesions. (2) The most typical pediatric chest CT findings of COVID-19 were ground-glass opacities (GGO) (37.2%, 95% CI: 29.3%-45%) and the presence of consolidations or pneumonic infiltrates (22.3%, 95% CI: 17.8%-26.9%). (3) The lung imaging findings in children with COVID-19 were overall less frequent and less severe than in adult patients. (4) Typical lung imaging features of viral respiratory infections in the pediatric population such as increased perihilar markings and hyperinflation were not reported in children with COVID-19.
Conclusion:
Chest CT manifestations in children with COVID-19 could potentially be used for early identification and prompt intervention in the pediatric population.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
01:20COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:13Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan
Pulmonary Angiogram
A Pulmonary Angiogram is an invasive procedure involving injecting a contrast medium through a catheter threaded into the pulmonary artery or the right side of the heart to visualize the pulmonary vasculature. Computed Tomography (CT) scans have mainly replaced this...
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...