Authors:
            
                    Camilla Scapicchio
                    
                        
                                1
                            
                                ; 
                            
                                2
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Elena Ballante
                    
                        
                                3
                            
                                ; 
                            
                                4
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Francesca Brero
                    
                        
                                4
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Raffaella Fiamma Cabini
                    
                        
                                5
                            
                                ; 
                            
                                4
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Andrea Chincarini
                    
                        
                                6
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Maria Evelina Fantacci
                    
                        
                                1
                            
                                ; 
                            
                                2
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Silvia Figini
                    
                        
                                3
                            
                                ; 
                            
                                4
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Alessandro Lascialfari
                    
                        
                                4
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Francesca Lizzi
                    
                        
                                2
                            
                    
                    ; 
                
                    Ian Postuma
                    
                        
                                4
                            
                    
                     and
                
                    Alessandra Retico
                    
                        
                                2
                            
                    
                    
                
        
        
            Affiliations:
            
                    
                        
                                1
                            
                    
                    Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
                
                    ; 
                
                    
                        
                                2
                            
                    
                    National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa, Italy
                
                    ; 
                
                    
                        
                                3
                            
                    
                    Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
                
                    ; 
                
                    
                        
                                4
                            
                    
                    National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pavia, Italy
                
                    ; 
                
                    
                        
                                5
                            
                    
                    Department of Mathematics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
                
                    ; 
                
                    
                        
                                6
                            
                    
                    National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Genova, Italy
                
        
        
        
        
        
             Keyword(s):
            COVID-19, Computed Tomography, Deep Learning, Quantification Software, Structured Report
        
        
            
                
                
            
        
        
            
                Abstract: 
                The role of Computed Tomography (CT) in the characterization of COVID-19 pneumonia has been widely
recognized. The aim of this work is to present the idea of integrating a Deep Learning (DL)-based software,
able to automatically quantify qualitative information typically describing COVID-19 lesions on chest CT
scans, into a structured report-filling pipeline. Different studies have highlighted the value of introducing the
use of structured reports in clinical practice, as a reproducible instrument for diagnosis and follow-up rather
than the commonly used free-text radiological report. Structured data are fundamental to helping clinical de-
cision support systems and fostering precision medicine. We developed a Deep Learning based software that
segments both the lungs and the lesions associated with COVID-19 pneumonia on chest CT scans and quan-
tifies some indexes describing qualitative characteristics used to assess COVID-19 lesions clinically. Once
assessed the robustness of the sy
                stem by means of a multicenter clinical evaluation made by clinical experts, it
can be used for the first stratification of patients, supporting radiologists with a computer-aided quantification,
and the derived quantities, immediately intelligible for the clinicians, are suitable to be inserted in a structured
report in COVID-19 pneumonia and then exploited as explainable features to build predictive models.
                (More)