Surveying the aftermath: a qualitative and semiquantitative study of post-COVID-19 sequelae in the lungs

BackgroundIn this period following the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing evidence to indicate the presence of long-term sequelae in individuals who were infected with COVID-19. This study was performed to assess the proportion of CT abnormalities in patients who underwent CT imaging of the thorax at least 4 weeks after the date of RT-PCR confirmation of COVID-19 infection and to assess the severity of lung involvement using a semiquantitative CT scoring system in the above population.MethodsInstitutional Review Board approval was obtained for this study. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the post-COVID-19 findings on CT imaging of thorax. The cases for analysis were obtained from the radiology department database of our Institution by performing a RIS-PACS search. The CT images were analyzed both in a qualitative manner and by using a semiquantitative score, which was correlated with spirometry.ResultsA total of 192 CT imaging studies of various patients were reviewed as part of this study. The mean age of the study population was 50. The predominant CT abnormalities included ground glass opacities (87%), reticulations (77%), consolidations (52%), subpleural bands (65%), tractional bronchiectasis (59%), and air trapping (19%). The mean semiquantitative score obtained was 35.08 (range 0-80). There was a significantly higher score among diabetics and those with multiple comorbidities. There was a significant correlation between spirometric variables (FVC, FEV1) and the semiquantitative score.ConclusionWe qualitatively assessed the spectrum of post-COVID-19 sequelae in the lungs. The common findings included ground glass opacities, reticulations, and consolidations. The severity of post-COVID-19 sequelae quantified by the semiquantitative score showed a weak to moderate correlation with spirometry.