Authors

1 General Practitioner, Department of Emergency, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.

2 General Practitioner, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Pediatric Cardiologist, Amir Kabir Hospital, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.

4 Epidemiologist and Research Assistant, Amir Kabir Hospital, Amiralmomenin Hospital, Ayatollah Khansari Hospital, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.

Abstract

Background
During the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), fewer children were involved compared to adults, and fewer data about the chest computed tomography (CT) findings in children are available. The aim of this study was to review chest CT findings in children with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: To perform this review study, the main databases of Medline (via PubMed), Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar search engine were searched until May 2020 in English with keywords of "COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, Clinical Features, Children, Pediatrics, Chest CT, and Computed Tomography" were searched. The related studies were reviewed and selected by two reviewers. The kappa statistic between the two authors was 78% for selecting the articles.
Results: Based on the 17 evaluated studies, the most frequent abnormalities were respectively patchy shadowing, ground-glass opacities (GGOs), consolidations mostly surrounded with halo sign, and interlobular septal thickening. The lesions were commonly multiple, patchy, nodular, and bilateral; however, they could be single, local, unilateral, and dense in some cases; and most of the lesions have been detected in the right lower lobe.
Conclusion
Compared to adults infected with SARS CoV-2, the symptoms were milder and the lungs chest CT imaging indicated smaller lung involvement in pediatrics; however, the patterns of imaging changes were almost similar.

Keywords