Application of deep learning-based diagnostic systems in screening asymptomatic COVID-19 patients among oversea...

Our study aimed to investigate the performance of deep learning (DL)-based diagnostic systems in alerting against COVID-19, especially among asymptomatic individuals coming from overseas, and to analyze the features of identified asymptomatic patients in detail.

DL diagnostic systems were deployed to assist in the screening of COVID-19, including the pneumonia system and pulmonary nodules system. 1,917 overseas returnees who underwent CT examination and rRT-PCR tests were enrolled. DL pneumonia system promptly alerted clinicians to suspected COVID-19 after CT examinations while the performance was evaluated with rRT-PCR results as the reference. The radiological features of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were described according to the Nomenclature of the Fleischner Society.

Fifty-three cases were confirmed as COVID-19 patients by rRT-PCR tests, including 5 asymptomatic cases. DL pneumonia system correctly alerted 50 cases as suspected COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 0.9434 and specificity of 0.9592 (within 2 minutes per case); while the pulmonary nodules system alerted 2 of the 3 missed asymptomatic cases. Additionally, five asymptomatic patients presented different characteristics such as elevated creatine kinase level and prolonged prothrombin time, as well as atypical radiological features.

DL diagnostic systems are promising complementary approaches for prompt screening of imported COVID-19 patients, even the imported asymptomatic cases. Unique clinical and radiological characteristics of asymptomatic cases might be of great value in screening as well.

DL-based systems are practical, efficient, and reliable to assist radiologists in screening COVID-19 patients. Differential features of asymptomatic patients might be useful to clinicians in the frontline to differentiate asymptomatic cases.