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International Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Radioactive Substances Research Article 5 min read

Review on Covıd-19 and Ground Glass Opacities

Saban Tiryaki*
* Corresponding author
ISSN: 2689-8020  10.23880/ijnmrs-16000140  Received: March 26, 2021  Published: April 08, 2021
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 23 references
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Keywords
Chest Tomography Ground Glass Densities COVID-19
Abstract

The purpose of this review is to examine the presentation of ground glass densities (GGOs) on chest tomography (CT), which is widely used in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). GGOs appear to be the earliest and most common presentation of lung sequelae in COVID-19. Thus, in the existing literature, the frequency of GGO varies between 14% and 100%. In line with the literature and our increasing experience, GGO is encountered as an early finding in COVID-19, and GGO is observed less often in patients diagnosed after the early disease period. In conclusion, in COVID-19, especially in the early disease stages, the most common finding on thoracic CT is GGO, and it can often be observed with consolidation.

Introduction

The purpose of this review is to examine the presentation of ground glass densities (GGOs) on chest tomography (CT), which is widely used in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). GGOs appear to be the earliest and most common presentation of lung sequelae in COVID-19. COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, China, as a disease of unknown cause in December 2019. Research has determined that the cause of the disease is a coronavirus, which is an RNA virus. This virus was initially named the novel coronavirus 2019 (nCoV-2019), then severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); the disease ultimately has been referred to as COVID-19 [1, 2]. GGOs are focal fillings of air spaces in the lungs or slight parenchymal density increases that do not erase the vascular and bronchial structures as a result of interstitial thickening [3]. Although GGOs in COVID-19 were the earliest and the most typical thoracic CT finding [4, 5, 6], very different rates have been reported in the literature (Table 1).

Caruso D, et al. [4] found GGO positivity in 100% of patients with COVID-19, and Salehi S, et al. [8] reported a positive rate of 88%. Ai T, et al. [1] reported a lower GGO positivity rate of 46% in a large series. A study by Chen N, et al. [15] reported the lowest rate, 14%. Bernheim A, et al. [11] reported a rate of approximately 34%. Thus, in the existing literature, the frequency of GGO varies between 14% and 100%. In line with the literature and our increasing experience, GGO is encountered as an early finding in COVID-19, and GGO is observed less often in patients diagnosed after the early disease period [1, 7, 8, 16, 20]. From the literature, it appears that GGO is usually seen in both lungs and most frequently occurs in the lower lobes, with peripheral subpleural localization. Right lung lower lobe involvement is slightly more dominant in reported cases [1, 5, 7, 21, 22]. Song F, et al. [5], Bernheim A, et al. [11] and Han R, et al. [13] classified GGOs and GGOs with associated consolidation separately. In the literature, the association between GGO and consolidation has been documented at different rates (Table 2).

n (number of patients)%
Guan WJ, et al. [7]109956
Ai T, et al. [1]101446
Salehi S, et al. [8]91988
Bai HX, et al. [9]21991
Fan N, et al. [10]15062
Bernheim A, et al. [11]12134
Wang K, et al. [12]11027
Han R, et al. [13]10860
Zhao W, et al. [14]10186
Chen N, et al. [15]9914
Li K, et al. [16]8398
Shi H, et al. [17]8165
Pan Y, et al. [18]6386
Caruso D, et al. [4]58100
Song F, et al. [5]5176
Fang Y, et al. [19]5072

Table 1: GGOs frequencies reported in the literature in COVID-19 patients.

n (number of patients)%
Fan N, et al. [10]15034
Bernheim A, et al. [11]12141
Wang K, et al. [12]11045
Han R, et al. [13]10841
Zhao W, et al. [14]10164
Song F, et al. [5]5159
Chung M, et al. [6]2129
Yoon SH, et al. [22]950

Table 2: Prevalence of GGO and consolidation association in COVID-19.

Consolidation is defined as parenchymal densities caused by the filling of the alveoli with fluid or cells and the loss of aeration. In areas of consolidation, the counts of vascular structures are erased [3, 8, 10, 23]. In a retrospective study of 64 cases by Ng MY, et al. [21], consolidation was reported as the most common CT finding (in 47%), and GGO occurred in 33%.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in COVID-19, especially in the early disease stages, the most common finding on thoracic CT is GGO, and it can often be observed with consolidation.

References

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@article{saban2021,
  title   = {Review on Covıd-19 and Ground Glass Opacities},
  author  = {Saban Tiryaki},
  journal = {International Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Radioactive Substances},
  year    = {2021},
  volume  = {4},
  number  = {1},
  doi     = {10.23880/ijnmrs-16000140}
}
Saban Tiryaki (2021). Review on Covıd-19 and Ground Glass Opacities. International Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Radioactive Substances, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.23880/ijnmrs-16000140
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Review on Covıd-19 and Ground Glass Opacities
AU  - Saban Tiryaki
JO  - International Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Radioactive Substances
PY  - 2021
VL  - 4
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.23880/ijnmrs-16000140
ER  -