THE STUDY OF CHEST RADIOGRAPH OF POST COVID-19 PNEUMONIA AT RANONG HOSPITAL

Abstract

This research aimed to study the characteristics of chest radiographs following recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia in patients at Ranong Hospital between January 1 and December 31, 2022. Data collection was conducted using patient records and the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Descriptive statistics, including frequency distribution, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were employed to describe general patient information and chest radiograph findings. The study included 166 patients with an average age of 66.8 years, comprising 51.2% females and 48.8% males. The average time between hospital admission and follow-up chest radiographs was 11.7 weeks. The results showed that 43 patients (25.9%) had completely normal chest radiographs, and 41 patients (24.7%) exhibited reduced abnormalities compared to initial imaging. Among the residual abnormalities, ground-glass opacity was observed in 43 patients (47.3%), consolidation in 31 patients (34%), reticular infiltration in 10 patients (11.0%), and other findings in 7 patients (7.7%). The residual abnormalities were predominantly distributed in the peripheral and lower lung regions bilaterally. In conclusion, the majority of post-recovery chest radiographs in COVID-19 pneumonia patients returned to normal, with only a subset of patients exhibiting residual abnormalities that could be detected via chest radiography. Therefore, chest radiography, which is widely available at all levels of healthcare in Thailand, is cost-effective and exposes patients to lower radiation doses compared to computed tomography (CT). It is an effective tool for initial follow-up of complications in patients recovering from COVID-19 pneumonia.