Clinical and CT manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): comparison of suspected cases of COVID-19 in isolation and non-COVID-19 pneumonia in a single-center study conducted in Beijing, China

Abstract Background: The clinical and CT manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia and non-COVID-19 pneumonia in the same period have not been compared in detail. The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical and CT manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia and perform a comparison of those isolated patients for presumed COVID-19 infection and of non-COVID-19 pneumonia in the same period.Methods: 173 patients with pneumonia from January 1, 2020 to March 20, 2020 were retrospectively enrolled and classified into three groups: patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (Group I, N=4), patients in hospital-isolation for presumed COVID-19 pneumonia (Group Ⅱ, N=5), and patients with non-COVID-19 pneumonia (Group III, N=163). Clinical symptoms, laboratory test results and CT imaging features were compared among three groups.Results: Fever and cough were the most common clinical symptoms in the three groups. 30/163 (18.4%) patients were asymptomatic in Group III. Leukopenia, lymphocytopenia, and elevated C-reactive protein was identified in 1 (25%), 1 (25%), and 1 (25%) patient in Group I; 1 (20%), 1 (20%), and 2 (40%) patients in Group II; 10/157 (6.4%), 33/157(21.0%), and 94/136 (69.1%) patients in Group III. Demarcated GGO/mixed GGO, ill-defined GGO/mixed GGO, consolidation, centrilobular nodule, tree-in bud opacity, bilateral involvement, peripheral distribution, posterior part/lower lobe predilection was observed in 3/4 (75%), 2/4 (50%), 4/4 (100%), 2/4 (50%), 0, 3/4 (75%), 3/4 (75%), and 2/4 (50%) patients, respectively in Group I; 1/5 (20%), 5/5 (100%), 4/5 (80%), 4/5 (80%), 3/5 (60%), 4/5 (80%), 2/5 (40%), and 3/5 (60%) patients in Group Ⅱ; 1/163 (0.6%), 87/163 (54.3%), 115/163 (70.6%), 117/163 (71.8%), 95/163 (58.3%), 52/163 (31.9%), 9/163 (5.5%), and 9/163 (5.5%) patients in Group III, respectively.Conclusions: Demarcated GGO and consolidation prefer the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, whereas ill-defined GGO and consolidation, centrilobular nodule surrounded by GGO, and tree-in-bud opacity are preferred for non-COVID-19 pneumonia. chest CT has potential in early identification of COVID-19 and implementation of isolation for appropriate case.