Chest CT Scans of COVID-19 Patients Could Help Distinguish Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants

In a retrospective analysis, researchers at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Oxford, UK) compared the radiological pattern, imaging characteristics and disease severity on initial CT pulmonary angiograms of patients infected with the Omicron variant with those infected with the Delta variant, as well as compared the imaging severity according to vaccination status.

In a small series of hospitalized patients who had tested RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 with CT pulmonary angiography performed within seven days of admission, the researchers found that the Omicron variant infection is less likely to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, and that, when pneumonia does occur, it is less severe on chest CT. In agreement with chest CT patterns, Omicron infection was associated with reduced clinical and biochemical markers of severity and improved hospital outcomes. The researchers found lower CT severity scores (7.2) and increased incidence of bronchial wall thickening in the Omicron group. In terms of vaccination status, those who were vaccinated also recorded lower CT severity scores. These findings were consistent, regardless of the interpreting radiologist’s experience level.

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Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust