WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN CHEST X-RAYS OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH COVID-19:
INSIGHTS FROM A COLOMBIAN COHORT.
Abstract
Background: Despite advancements in vaccination and the
transition from pandemic to endemic, SARS-CoV-2 continues to pose a
medical challenge, particularly among children. In this context, imaging
diagnostics, such as chest x-rays, are crucial to the initial treatment
of patients. This study aims to characterize the radiological findings
in pediatric patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Colombia
between April 2020 and November 2021, as well as their potential
association with intensive care admission. Methods: In
Colombia, a multicenter cohort comprised patients aged 29 days to 17
years with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and chest X-ray administered
within 72 hours of hospitalization. In two separate groups, four
radiologists evaluated the images. A fifth radiologist reviewed all the
X-rays; and subsequently, these readings were used to calculate the
kappa coefficient and to resolve discrepancies among the other
radiologists. The results were compared to admission to intensive care.
Results: Analysis was conducted on 392 patients with a mean age
of 2 years, the majority of whom (42%) were infants. Sixty-eight
percent of the radiographs had normal results. Peribronchial thickening
and interstitial opacity were the most common aberrant findings (59%),
followed by alveolar opacity (12%). 88 percent of findings were
bilateral. The most common association between peribronchial thickening
and intensive care admission was ventilatory failure. Interobserver
agreement was low for peribronchial thickening (kappa = 0.1), but higher
for consolidations and alveolar opacities (kappa = 0.4 and 0.5,
respectively). Conclusion: In pediatric patients with
SARS-CoV-2, radiological findings are nonspecific and interobserver
agreement is minimal. Although consolidation and alveolar opacities
demonstrated greater concordance, they were not associated with clinical
differences; therefore, chest radiography is not considered useful for
determining the severity of COVID-19 in children.