Chest computed tomography findings of COVID-19 in children younger than 1 year: a systematic review

• Published in: World journal of pediatrics : WJP Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 234 - 241
• Main Authors: Ghodsi, Alireza, Bijari, Moniba, Alamdaran, Seyed Ali, Saberi, Amin, Mahmoudabadi, Elnaz, Balali, Mohammad Reza, Ghahremani, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.06.2021; Student Research Committee,Faculty of Medicine,Mashhad University of Medical Sciences,Mashhad,Iran%Radiology Department,Faculty of Medicine,Mashhad University of Medical Sciences,Mashhad,Iran%Faculty of Medicine,Mashhad University of Medical Sciences,Azadi Sq,Mashhad,Iran%Pediatrician,Hasheminezhad Hospital,Mashhad,Iran%Department of Pediatrics,Faculty of Medicine,Mashhad University of Medical Sciences,Mashhad,Iran
• Subjects: COVID-19 - diagnostic imaging; Critical Care Medicine; Humans; Imaging; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Intensive; Maternal and Child Health; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnostic imaging; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Radiography, Thoracic - methods; Radiology; SARS-CoV-2; Surgery; Systematic Review; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; COVID-19; Infant; Systematic review; SARS-CoV-2; Computerized tomography
• ISSN: 1708-8569; 1867-0687
• DOI: 10.1007/s12519-021-00424-1

Background The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the chest computed tomography (CT) findings in infants with confirmed COVID-19 infection by providing a comprehensive review of the existing literature. Data sources A systematic search was conducted on PubMed and Embase from the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak to October 20, 2020, for studies that discussed the chest CT findings in infants younger than 1 year with COVID-19 infection. Results A total of 35 studies comprising 70 COVID-19 (58.5% boys) confirmed infants were included. The mean age of the included patients was 4.1 months with a range of 1 day to 12 months. Chest CT scans showed bilateral abnormalities in 34 patients, and unilateral lung involvement in 25 patients. Ground-glass opacities (GGO) (71.43%) were found to be the most prevalent chest CT manifestation, followed by peribronchial thickening (60%), linear or band-shaped opacities (32.8%), consolidation (28.57%), nodule (18.57%), effusion (7.14%) and focal lucency (7.14%). Conclusions GGO and peribronchial thickening were the most prevalent findings in the infants’ chest CT scans. Linear or band-shaped opacities, consolidation, and pulmonary nodules are more common in infants than in adults. These findings suggest that the disease is more likely to be presented as an atypical pneumonia (peribronchial thickening and linear or band-shaped opacities) in this age group. Other chest CT scan manifestations can be classified as typical COVID-19 infection (peripheral GGO), lobar pneumonia (consolidation) and opportunistic infections (pulmonary nodules).