TY - JOUR
T1 - Chest CT Computerized Aided Quantification of PNEUMONIA Lesions in COVID-19 Infection
T2 - A Comparison among Three Commercial Software
AU - Grassi, Roberto
AU - Cappabianca, Salvatore
AU - Urraro, Fabrizio
AU - Feragalli, Beatrice
AU - Montanelli, Alessandro
AU - Patelli, Gianluigi
AU - Granata, Vincenza
AU - Giacobbe, Giuliana
AU - Russo, Gaetano Maria
AU - Grillo, Assunta
AU - De Lisio, Angela
AU - Paura, Cesare
AU - Clemente, Alfredo
AU - Gagliardi, Giuliano
AU - Magliocchetti, Simona
AU - Cozzi, Diletta
AU - Fusco, Roberta
AU - Belfiore, Maria Paola
AU - Grassi, Roberta
AU - Miele, Vittorio
PY - 2020/9/22
Y1 - 2020/9/22
N2 - PURPOSE: To compare different commercial software in the quantification of Pneumonia Lesions in COVID-19 infection and to stratify the patients based on the disease severity using on chest computed tomography (CT) images.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined 162 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. All cases were evaluated separately by radiologists (visually) and by using three computer software programs: (1) Thoracic VCAR software, GE Healthcare, United States; (2) Myrian, Intrasense, France; (3) InferRead, InferVision Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany. The degree of lesions was visually scored by the radiologist using a score on 5 levels (none, mild, moderate, severe, and critic). The parameters obtained using the computer tools included healthy residual lung parenchyma, ground-glass opacity area, and consolidation volume. Intraclass coefficient (ICC), Spearman correlation analysis, and non-parametric tests were performed.RESULTS: Thoracic VCAR software was not able to perform volumes segmentation in 26/162 (16.0%) cases, Myrian software in 12/162 (7.4%) patients while InferRead software in 61/162 (37.7%) patients. A great variability (ICC ranged for 0.17 to 0.51) was detected among the quantitative measurements of the residual healthy lung parenchyma volume, GGO, and consolidations volumes calculated by different computer tools. The overall radiological severity score was moderately correlated with the residual healthy lung parenchyma volume obtained by ThoracicVCAR or Myrian software, with the GGO area obtained by the ThoracicVCAR tool and with consolidation volume obtained by Myrian software. Quantified volumes by InferRead software had a low correlation with the overall radiological severity score.CONCLUSIONS: Computer-aided pneumonia quantification could be an easy and feasible way to stratify COVID-19 cases according to severity; however, a great variability among quantitative measurements provided by computer tools should be considered.
AB - PURPOSE: To compare different commercial software in the quantification of Pneumonia Lesions in COVID-19 infection and to stratify the patients based on the disease severity using on chest computed tomography (CT) images.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined 162 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. All cases were evaluated separately by radiologists (visually) and by using three computer software programs: (1) Thoracic VCAR software, GE Healthcare, United States; (2) Myrian, Intrasense, France; (3) InferRead, InferVision Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany. The degree of lesions was visually scored by the radiologist using a score on 5 levels (none, mild, moderate, severe, and critic). The parameters obtained using the computer tools included healthy residual lung parenchyma, ground-glass opacity area, and consolidation volume. Intraclass coefficient (ICC), Spearman correlation analysis, and non-parametric tests were performed.RESULTS: Thoracic VCAR software was not able to perform volumes segmentation in 26/162 (16.0%) cases, Myrian software in 12/162 (7.4%) patients while InferRead software in 61/162 (37.7%) patients. A great variability (ICC ranged for 0.17 to 0.51) was detected among the quantitative measurements of the residual healthy lung parenchyma volume, GGO, and consolidations volumes calculated by different computer tools. The overall radiological severity score was moderately correlated with the residual healthy lung parenchyma volume obtained by ThoracicVCAR or Myrian software, with the GGO area obtained by the ThoracicVCAR tool and with consolidation volume obtained by Myrian software. Quantified volumes by InferRead software had a low correlation with the overall radiological severity score.CONCLUSIONS: Computer-aided pneumonia quantification could be an easy and feasible way to stratify COVID-19 cases according to severity; however, a great variability among quantitative measurements provided by computer tools should be considered.
KW - Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging
KW - Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/methods
KW - Feasibility Studies
KW - Humans
KW - Pandemics
KW - Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging
KW - Retrospective Studies
KW - Severity of Illness Index
KW - Software
KW - Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph17186914
DO - 10.3390/ijerph17186914
M3 - Article
C2 - 32971756
VL - 17
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1661-7827
IS - 18
ER -