Temporal Evolution of Imaging Findings on High-resolution Computed Tomography Chest in COVID-19 Patients: A Tertiary Care Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an infectious illness caused by the coronavirus strain known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We set out to monitor the evolution of lung changes in individuals who survived COVID-19 infection, investigate prospectively in the Indian population, and determine their predictive factors. None of the studies was conducted on the Indian people for long-term follow-up prospectively. Materials and methods: We enrolled patients who had been treated for COVID-19 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. At the time of admission and 3-monthly follow-up visits, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) chest was done to look at the evolution of lung changes. Results: At the 3-month follow-up CT, 28 of the 50 participants (56%) (group I) showed fibrotic changes with or without residual consolidation/ground-glass opacity (GGO). In contrast, the remaining 22 people (44%) (group II) did not show fibrotic changes and had either complete radiologic resolution or only residual GGO consolidation. Conclusion: Common findings noted on admission were predominant consolidation and predominant GGO. Post-COVID-19 lung fibrosis was observed in about half of the survivors. Consolidation in the initial chest CT scan was linked to a higher risk of developing post-COVID-19 lung fibrosis. These fibrotic changes were linked to an older age, male patient, and acute respiratory distress syndrome at admission.

Keywords

• consolidation
• coronavirus disease 2019
• consolidation
• fibrosis
• ground-glass opacity
• high-resolution computed tomography chest