Tailoring steroids in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia assisted by CT scans: three case reports

J Xray Sci Technol. 2020;28(5):885-892. doi: 10.3233/XST-200710.

Abstract

In this article, we analyze and report cases of three patients who were admitted to Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University, China, for treating COVID-19 pneumonia in February 2020 and were unresponsive to initial treatment of steroids. They were then received titrated steroids treatment based on the assessment of computed tomography (CT) images augmented and analyzed with the artificial intelligence (AI) tool and output. Three patients were finally recovered and discharged. The result indicated that sufficient steroids may be effective in treating the COVID-19 patients after frequent evaluation and timely adjustment according to the disease severity assessed based on the quantitative analysis of the images of serial CT scans.

Keywords: Coronavirus; computerized tomography; image analysis using artificial intelligence; pneumonia; steroids; treating COVID-19 patients.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • China
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnostic imaging*
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy*
  • Coronavirus Infections / pathology
  • Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung / drug effects
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / pathology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*

Substances

  • Glucocorticoids