Ying WF, Chen Q, Jiang ZK, Hao DG, Zhang Y, Han Q. Chest computed tomography findings of the Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 with different cycle threshold values. World J Clin Cases 2023; 11(4): 756-763 [PMID: 36818628 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i4.756]
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Wei-Feng Ying, Qiong Chen, Da-Guang Hao, Ying Zhang, Department of Radiology, Shanghai Xuhui Dahua Hospital, Shanghai 200237, China
Zhi-Kui Jiang, Qian Han, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Xuhui Dahua Hospital, Shanghai 200237, China
Author contributions: Chen Q designed the research study; Jiang ZK and Han Q performed the research; Hao DG and Zhang Y contributed new reagents and analytic tools; Ying WF analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Xuhui Dahua Hospital (Approval No. 20220804).
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at cq1444@sina.com upon reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Received: September 1, 2022 Peer-review started: September 1, 2022 First decision: November 22, 2022 Revised: November 29, 2022 Accepted: January 12, 2023 Article in press: January 12, 2023 Published online: February 6, 2023 Processing time: 157 Days and 21.2 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly infects the upper respiratory tract. Chest computed tomography (CT) can reveal the presence of pulmonary infection. The measured cycle threshold (Ct) was related to pulmonary infections diagnosed via CT.
Research motivation
To explore the relationship between chest CT characteristics and Ct value using the fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
Research objectives
Pulmonary infections caused by the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were highly correlated with Ct values. Lower Ct values were associated with a higher incidence and degree of pulmonary damage.
Research methods
The chest CT images and PCR Ct values of 331 patients with Omicron variant infections were retrospectively collected; categorized into low (< 25), moderate (25.00-34.99), and high (≥ 35) Ct groups; and analyzed statistically.
Research results
Focal infections were less frequent in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups. Patchy consolidation shadows and pleural changes were more common in the low Ct group than in the other two groups. The number of patients with two or more signs was greater in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups.
Research conclusions
Pulmonary infection and the Ct measured using the fluorescent PCR method were related to pulmonary infections diagnosed via CT.
Research perspectives
Future studies with large sample sizes and multiple centers will further validate our findings.
