Pulmonary emphysema, bullae, and pneumothorax in COVID-19 pneumonia

Wenrui Xu, MD; Xiaojie Luo, MD; He Wang, MD; Cheng Shen, MD; Yan Song, MD; Tieying Sun, MD; Min Chen, MD, PhD

Radiology Case Reports (May 2021)

Pulmonary emphysema, bullae, and pneumothorax in COVID-19 pneumonia

Wenrui Xu, MD,
Xiaojie Luo, MD,
He Wang, MD,
Cheng Shen, MD,
Yan Song, MD,
Tieying Sun, MD,
Min Chen, MD, PhD

Affiliations

Wenrui Xu, MD: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China
Xiaojie Luo, MD: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China
He Wang, MD: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China
Cheng Shen, MD: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China
Yan Song, MD: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China; Corresponding authors.
Tieying Sun, MD: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China; Corresponding authors.
Min Chen, MD, PhD: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730 P.R. China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16, no. 5
pp. 995 – 998

Abstract

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In this paper, we described 2 cases with COVID-19 pneumonia, who developed pulmonary emphysema, bullae, and pneumothorax during therapy. In a 48-year-old man with mechanical ventilation, parts of ground glass opacities and consolidations transformed into emphysema and giant bulla, and bilateral pneumothorax were also observed. In a 35-year-old man, localized emphysema and pulmonary bullae were seen in subpleural area in bilateral upper lobes, where no previous lesions were presented. In conclusion, pulmonary emphysema, bullae, and pneumothorax could be complications of COVID-19. On one hand, surgical emphysema in ventilated COVID-19 patients was observed as in SARS patients. On the other hand, more serious destruction of lung parenchyma was found in COVID-19 patients.

Published in Radiology Case Reports

ISSN: 1930-0433 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/radiology-case-reports

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