Aim The purpose of this study is to describe the main chest radiological features (CXR) of COVID-19 and correlate them with clinical outcome. Materials and methods This is a retrospective study involving patients with clinical-epidemiological suspect of COVID-19 infection, who performed CXRs at the emergency department (ED) of our University Hospital from March 1 to March 31, 2020. All patients performed RT-PCR nasopharyngeal and throat swab, CXR at the ED and clinical-epidemiological data. RT-PCR results were considered the reference standard. The final outcome was expressed as discharged or hospitalized patients into a medicine department or intensive care unit (ICU). Results Patients that had a RT-PCR positive for COVID-19 infection were 234 in total: 153 males (65.4%) and 81 females (34.6%), with a mean age of 66.04 years (range 18-97 years). Thirteen CXRs were negative for radiological thoracic involvement (5.6%). The following alterations were more commonly observed: 135 patients with lung consolidations (57.7%), 147 (62.8%) with GGO, 55 (23.5%) with nodules and 156 (66.6%) with reticular-nodular opacities. Patients with consolidations and GGO coexistent in the same radiography were 35.5% of total. Peripheral (57.7%) and lower zone distribution (58.5%) were the most common predominance. Moreover, bilateral involvement (69.2%) was most frequent than unilateral one. Baseline CXR sensitivity in our experience is about 67.1%. The most affected patients were especially males in the age group 60-79 years old (45.95%, of which 71.57% males). RALE score was slightly higher in male than in female patients. ANOVA with Games-Howell post hoc showed significant differences of RALE scores for group 1 vs 3 (p < 0.001) and 2 vs 3 (p = 0.001). Inter-reader agreement in assigning RALE score was very good (ICC: 0.92-with 95% confidence interval 0.88-0.95). Conclusion In COVID-19, CXR shows patchy or diffuse reticular-nodular opacities and consolidation, with basal, peripheral and bilateral predominance. In our experience, baseline CXR had a sensitivity of 68.1%. The RALE score can be used in the emergency setting as a quantitative method of the extent of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, correlating with an increased risk of ICU admission.

Bronchial wall measurements differ between patients who have COPD with CB and those who have COPD without CB. The correlation between airway dimensions and indexes of airway obstruction in patients with COPD and CB indicates that the bronchial tree is the site of anatomic-functional alterations in this patient group.

Background Effective home treatment algorithms implemented based on a pathophysiologic and pharmacologic rationale to accelerate recovery and prevent hospitalisation of patients with early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would have major implications for patients and health system. Methods This academic, matched-cohort study compared outcomes of 90 consecutive consenting patients with mild COVID-19 treated at home by their family physicians between October 2020 and January 2021 in Northern and Central Italy, according to the proposed recommendation algorithm, with outcomes for 90 age-, sex-, and comorbidities-matched patients who received other therapeutic regimens. Primary outcome was time to resolution of major symptoms. Secondary outcomes included prevention of hospitalisation. Analyses were by intention-to-treat. Findings All patients achieved complete remission. The median [IQR] time to resolution of major symptoms was 18 [14–23] days in the ‘recommended schedule' cohort and 14 [7–30] days in the matched ‘control’ cohort ( p = 0·033). Other symptoms persisted in a lower percentage of patients in the ‘recommended’ than in the ‘control’ cohort (23·3% versus 73·3%, respectively, p <0·0001) and for a shorter period ( p = 0·0107). Two patients in the ‘recommended’ cohort were hospitalised compared to 13 (14·4%) controls ( p = 0·0103). The prevention algorithm reduced the days and cumulative costs of hospitalisation by >90%. Interpretation Implementation of an early home treatment algorithm failed to accelerate recovery from major symptoms of COVID-19, but reduced the risk of hospitalisation and related treatment costs. Given the study design, additional research would be required to consolidate the proposed treatment recommendations. Funding Fondazione Cav.Lav. Carlo Pesenti

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a form of chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, including two major entities: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Although intestinal imaging of IBD is well known, imaging of extraintestinal manifestations is not extensively covered. In particular, the spectrum of IBD-associated or related changes in the chest is broad and may mimic other conditions. The common embryonic origin of intestine and lungs from the foregut, autoimmunity, smoking, and bacterial translocation from the colon may all be involved in the pathogenesis of these manifestations in IBD patients. Chest involvement in IBD can present concomitant with or years after the onset of the bowel disease even postcolectomy and can affect more than one thoracic structure. The purpose of the present paper is to present the different radiological spectrum of IBD-related chest manifestations, including lung parenchyma, airways, serosal surfaces, and pulmonary vasculature. The most prevalent and distinctive pattern of respiratory involvement is large airway inflammation, followed by lung alterations. Pulmonary manifestations are mainly detected by pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). It is desirable that radiologists know the various radiological patterns of possible respiratory involvement in such patients, especially at HRCT. It is essential for radiologists to work in multidisciplinary teams in order to establish the correct diagnosis and treatment, which rests on corticosteroids at variance with any other form of bronchiectasis.

Objective: To evaluate the consistency of the quantitative imaging decision support (QIDSTM) tool and radiomic analysis using 594 metrics in lung carcinoma on chest CT scan. Materials and Methods: We included, retrospectively, 150 patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer who underwent chemotherapy and baseline and follow-ups CT scans. Using the QIDSTM platform, 3 radiologists segmented each lesion and automatically collected the longest diameter and the density mean value. Inter-observer variability, Bland Altman analysis and Spearman’s correlation coefficient were performed. QIDSTM tool consistency was assessed in terms of agreement rate in the treatment response classification. Kruskal Wallis test and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method with 10-fold cross validation were used to identify radiomic metrics correlated with lesion size change. Results: Good and significant correlation was obtained between the measurements of largest diameter and of density among the QIDSTM tool and the radiologists measurements. Inter-observer variability values were over 0.85. HealthMyne QIDSTM tool quantitative volumetric delineation was consistent and matched with each radiologist measurement considering the RECIST classification (80-84%) while a lower concordance among QIDSTM and the radiologists CHOI classification was observed (58-63%). Among 594 extracted metrics, significant and robust predictors of RECIST response were energy, histogram entropy and uniformity, Kurtosis, coronal long axis, longest planar diameter, surface, Neighborhood Grey-Level Different Matrix (NGLDM) dependence nonuniformity and low dependence emphasis as Volume, entropy of Log(2.5 mm), wavelet energy, deviation and root man squared. Conclusion: In conclusion, we demonstrated that HealthMyne quantitative volumetric delineation was consistent and that several radiomic metrics extracted by QIDSTM were significant and robust predictors of RECIST response.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of radiomics features obtained by computed tomography (CT) examination as biomarkers in order to select patients with lung adenocarcinoma who would benefit from immunotherapy. Methods: Seventy-four patients (median age 63 years, range 42–86 years) with histologically confirmed lung cancer who underwent immunotherapy as first- or second-line therapy and who had baseline CT studies were enrolled in this approved retrospective study. As a control group, we selected 50 patients (median age 66 years, range 36–86 years) from 2005 to 2013 with histologically confirmed lung adenocarcinoma who underwent chemotherapy alone or in combination with targeted therapy. A total of 573 radiomic metrics were extracted: 14 features based on Hounsfield unit values specific for lung CT images; 66 first-order profile features based on intensity values; 43 second-order profile features based on lesion shape; 393 third-order profile features; and 57 features with higher-order profiles. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis with pattern recognition approaches and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method were used to assess the capability of extracted radiomics features to predict overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) time. Results: A total of 38 patients (median age 61; range 41–78 years) with confirmed lung adenocarcinoma and subjected to immunotherapy satisfied inclusion criteria, and 50 patients in a control group were included in the analysis The shift in the center of mass of the lesion due to image intensity was significant both to predict OS in patients subjected to immunotherapy and to predict PFS in patients subjected to immunotherapy and in patients in the control group. With univariate analysis, low diagnostic accuracy was reached to stratify patients based on OS and PFS time. Regarding multivariate analysis, considering the robust (two morphological features, three textural features and three higher-order statistical metrics) application of the LASSO approach and all patients, a support vector machine reached the best results for stratifying patients based on OS (area under curve (AUC) of 0.89 and accuracy of 81.6%). Alternatively, considering the robust predictors (six textural features and one higher-order statistical metric) and application of the LASSO approach including all patients, a decision tree reached the best results for stratifying patients based on PFS time (AUC of 0.96 and accuracy of 94.7%). Conclusions: Specific radiomic features could be used to select patients with lung adenocarcinoma who would benefit from immunotherapy because a subset of imaging radiomic features useful to predict OS or PFS time were different between the control group and the immunotherapy group.