A Review of Radiographic Findings in Sars-Cov-2 Patients

Abstract

Introduction: At the end of 2019, more specifically in December, the outbreak of the new coronavirus - Sars-Cov-2, which caused pneumonia, emerged in Wuhan, and soon spread throughout China, where researchers began to suspect a possible pandemic. , being a disease that causes a deficiency of structures of the respiratory system, leading to alterations in breathing functions, with respiratory muscle deficiencies and exercise tolerance. During the pandemic peak still in Wuhan, the main radiographic findings in hospitalized patients revealed bilateral opacity on computed tomography (CT) examination, lobular and subsegmental consolidation areas, ground-glass opacities, consolidation with rounded morphology, and peripheral pulmonary distribution. Aims: Analyze through the available literature review the main radiological alterations caused by Sars-Cov-2. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review using PubMed, Scielo, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic databases. Inclusion criteria were complete and original articles in English and Portuguese. Duplicates and other literature reviews were excluded. Results: Radiographic findings are different in the early and advanced phases of the disease, but characteristic signs such as the matte glass pattern were found in both phases. Conclusion: The radiographic findings of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are not the main criteria for clinical diagnosis, but knowledge of characteristic symptoms is fundamental. Therefore, the multidisciplinary team must discuss the radiological findings most common to the virus, this will directly aid early diagnosis, in addition to reducing the high mortality rates globally.