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Published on: December 19, 2020
Prevalence of COVID-19 Diagnostic Output with Chest Computed Tomography: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Temitope Emmanuel Komolafe1,2, John Agbo3,4, Ebenezer Obaloluwa Olaniyi5,6
1School of Biomedical Engineering(Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Insights
This meta-analysis reveals that reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has higher sensitivity than chest computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing COVID-19. Disease prevalence is notably higher in elderly males compared to children and females.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Imaging
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Limited data exists on chest CT abnormalities and biodata in COVID-19 patients.
- A comprehensive analysis of CT findings, prevalence, and demographics is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis on the diagnostic performance of chest CT in COVID-19.
- To evaluate common CT morphological abnormalities, disease prevalence, and biodata including gender and age distribution.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of PubMed and Science Direct databases (Jan 1 - Apr 30, 2020).
- Meta-analysis using a quality effect (QE) model to estimate pooled rates.
- Analysis included CT positive rates, RT-PCR, CT-imaging features, exposure history, and biodata.
Main Results:
- Chest CT sensitivity was 89%, while RT-PCR sensitivity was 98%.
- Pooled prevalence for lung lobe involvement was 72%, with higher rates in patients with exposure history (88%) and symptoms (91%).
- Prevalence was higher in males (54%) than females (46%), with a notable distribution across four age groups (76%).
Conclusions:
- RT-PCR demonstrates superior sensitivity compared to chest CT for COVID-19 diagnosis.
- COVID-19 prevalence is higher in elderly individuals and males.
- Chest CT findings and biodata analysis provide valuable insights into disease characteristics.
Background:
The pooled prevalence of chest computed tomography (CT) abnormalities and other detailed analysis related to patients' biodata like gender and different age groups have not been previously described for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), thus necessitating this study. Objectives: To perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance of chest CT, common CT morphological abnormalities, disease prevalence, biodata information, and gender prevalence of patients.
Methods:
Studies were identified by searching PubMed and Science Direct libraries from 1 January 2020 to 30 April 2020. Pooled CT positive rate of COVID-19 and RT-PCR, CT-imaging features, history of exposure, and biodata information were estimated using the quality effect (QE) model.
Results:
Out of 36 studies included, the sensitivity was 89% (95% CI: 80-96%) and 98% (95% CI: 90-100%) for chest CT and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. The pooled prevalence across lesion distribution were 72% (95% CI: 62-80%), 92% (95% CI: 84-97%) for lung lobe, 88% (95% CI: 81-93%) for patients with history of exposure, and 91% (95% CI: 85-96%) for patients with all categories of symptoms. Seventy-six percent (95% CI: 67-83%) had age distribution across four age groups, while the pooled prevalence was higher in the male with 54% (95% CI: 50-57%) and 46% (95% CI: 43-50%) in the female.
Conclusions:
The sensitivity of RT-PCR was higher than chest CT, and disease prevalence appears relatively higher in the elderly and males than children and females, respectively.
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