Assessment of the value of CT radiomics in differentiating solid pneumonia caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae from pneumococcal pneumonia in children under 5 years of age

ZHANG Yunfeng

Abstract：Objective:To explore the value of CT radiomics technology in assisting the differentiation of solid myco-plasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP)and pneumococcal pneumonia(SPP)in children under 5 years of age.Methods:Children under 5 years of age clinically diagnosed with solid MPP and SPP were collected and divided into the MPP group(n=42)and the SPP group(n=40).All children underwent chest CT examinations,and radiomic features were extracted from the CT images.Correlation analysis and feature selection methods were used to screen for features with differential significance and to establish a radiomics model.The general data and radiomic feature differences between the two groups of patients were compared,and the differential efficacy of the model was evaluated.Results:The fever time in MPP group was longer than that in SPP group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The dry cough in MPP group was more than that in SPP group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The white blood cell count and C reactive protein level in MPP group were lower than those in SPP group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).In the comparison of morphological features,the volume of pulmona-ry consolidation areas in the SPP group was larger than that in the MPP group,and the sphericity of the consolidation areas in the SPP group was smaller than that in the MPP group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).In the comparison of texture features,the contrast of the gray-level co-occurrence matrix in the MPP group was lower than that in the SPP group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).The short run emphasis parameter of the gray-level run-length matrix in the MPP group was higher than that in the SPP group,with a statistically signifi-cant difference(P＜0.05).Through the analysis of imageology,the characteristics with discriminating value were screened out,and the imageology model was established.It has high discrimination accuracy,sensitivity and specificity for MPP and SPP.Conclusion:CT radiomics technology can provide valuable information for the differential diagnosis of solid MPP and SPP in children under 5 years of age,which helps with early accurate diagnosis and rational treatment in clinical practice.