Title:Chest CT Features of Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia Following
Hospital Discharge
Volume: 19
Author(s): Dong Liu, Fangfang Fu, Aihua Ye, Zhenguo Qiao*Chunhong Hu*
Affiliation:
- Department of Gastroenterology, Suzhou Ninth People’s
Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
Keywords:
CT, spiral computed, COVID-19, thoracic diseases, pneumonia, inflammation.
Abstract:
Objective: To evaluate chest computed tomographic (CT) findings in patients with coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia following hospital discharge.
Methods: 52 patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia underwent follow-up chest CT. The scans
were obtained on average 43.1 days after hospital admission and analyzed for parenchymal abnormality
(e.g., ground-glass opacities, consolidation, or interstitial thickening) and evidence of fibrosis (e.g.,
assigned to one of three groups: Group 1 (normal lung), Group 2 (parenchymal abnormality but without
evidence of fibrosis), and Group 3 (evidence of fibrosis)). Clinical data and CT manifestations of
the patients were compared among the three groups.
Results: 30.8% (16/52) of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia showed normal lung and were designated
as Group 1. 69.2% (36/52) of patients showed parenchymal abnormality ranging from residual
ground-glass opacities, consolidation, or interstitial thickening in Group 2 (51.9%) to fibrosis in Group
3 (17.3%). All patients in Group3 had severe/critical COVID-19, while most patients in Group 2 and
Group 1 had common COVID-19. Patients in Group 3 were older (60.9 vs. 40.8 and 36.8 years,
p<0.001, there is a significant difference), had a longer hospitalization day (20.2 vs. 15.3 and 12.3
days, p<0.05, there is a significant difference), a higher ratio of patients with comorbidities
(88.9%vs14.8% and 25%, p<0.001, there is a significant difference), and higher peak CT scores (13 vs.
6.2 and 3.2, p<0.001, there is a significant difference) than those patients in Group 2 and Group 1.
Conclusions: Elderly severe/critical COVID-19 patients with comorbidities are more prone to develop
fibrosis early on following hospital discharge. On the other hand, lung inflammation in younger patients
with common COVID-19 can be resolved completely.
