COVID-19 associated lung cavitary lesions: A case series

Abstract

Background: Our study discusses the probable etiologies and characteristics of pulmonary cavities in post-COVID-19 patients. A pulmonary cavity is a late complication of the disease, yet it has led to multiple referrals to our tertiary hospital in Tehran, Iran. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-series study on 20 patients who were admitted to our center between April 2020 and September 2021. They were all diagnosed with COVID-19 and concomitantly developed pulmonary cavities. We assessed their electronic medical records in 2021 and compared their characteristics with other studies based on the available literature. Result: Of the 20 patients with cavities, 12 (60%) had been diagnosed with prior COVID-19, and 9 (45%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus. 9 patients (45%) had bacterial superinfections while 4 (44%) had fungal infections. All patients received corticosteroids, but only 4 (20%) were additionally administered Tocilizumab. Conclusion: COVID-19 patients can develop pulmonary cavities during recovery; however, this infrequent radiologic finding depends on specific risk factors.

Keywords

• covid-19
• thoracic cavity
• lung
• aspergillosis
• pulmonary cavity
• post covid-19 cavity
• covid-19 complications
• covid-19 rare presentations