CT patterns of residual changes in COVID-19 lung lesions

Abstract

Introduction. The possible formation of persistent residual changes in the lung after a COVID-19 began to be reported after the first wave of the pandemic, but their extent and prevalence have not been fully assessed.
Purpose of the study. Evaluate CT patterns of residual changes in COVID-19 lung lesions. 
Materials and methods. We analyzed the clinical and radiation data of 868 patients (f/m — 441/427) who underwent COVID-19 and were observed in the clinics of First St.-Petersburg State Medical University n.a. academician I.  P. Pavlov since 2020 until 2021. The average age of the patients was 33,4±17,2 years. All patients underwent high-resolution computed tomography in dynamics — after 6 months or more. Statistical data processing was performed using the Statistika 16.0 software/statistical package.
Results. Analysis of the results of CT examination revealed the following patterns of residual changes after a new coronavirus infection: ILAs (interstitial lung abnormalities) in 0,7%, the formation of fibrotic changes (NsIP, OIP) in 0,2% of patients, CT signs of constrictive bronchiolitis in 0,3% of patients, CT signs of persistence in 0,1% of patients, CT signs of the formation of pulmonary hypertension, identified in 0.3% of patients.
Conclusions. CT allows to identify a variety of residual changes in COVID-19 lung lesions, which is important for assessing the prognosis of the disease and the tactics of its treatment.