Giant lung bulla as a late-onset complication of mild SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia

Submitted: February 20, 2023
Accepted: August 20, 2023
Published: September 27, 2023
Abstract Views: 2158
PDF: 36
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

A 49-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to the Emergency Department for shortness of breath and cough. Computed tomography (CT) imaging showed bilateral mild COVID-19-related pneumonia. He was hospitalized in the low-intensity COVID-19 unit, where he received O2 therapy and oral corticosteroids. Three weeks after discharge, a high-resolution CT (HRCT) found a giant bulla in the inferior lobe. The bulla was resected by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and the patient recovered completely. In our patient, it is reasonable to suspect that the development of the bulla is a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection since no bulla was observed in the first HRCT two months before. SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia may be responsible for lung remodeling due to diffuse alveolar damage and later interstitial myofibroblastic proliferation. Corticosteroids might have played a role in increasing SARS-CoV-2 dystrophic action. COVID-19 leads to pulmonary damages, which are still partially unknown and might result in the development of bullae. In fit patients, surgical treatment can be carried out safely.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Tsatsakis A, Calina D, Falzone L, et al. SARS-CoV-2 pathophysiology and its clinical implications: An integrative overview of the pharmacotherapeutic management of COVID-19. Food Chem Toxicol 2020;146:111769.
Özdemir S, Bilgi DÖ, Köse S, Oya G. Pneumothorax in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia with invasive mechanical ventilation. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2021;32:351-5.
Yasukawa K, Vamadevan A, Rollins R. Bulla formation and tension pneumothorax in a patient with COVID-19. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020;103:943-4.
Murayama D, Kojima D, Hino A, et al. A case of bulla formation after treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia. Radiol Case Rep 2021;16:1162-4.
Liu K, Zeng Y, Xie P, et al. COVID-19 with cystic features on computed tomography: a case report. Medicine 2020;99:e20175.
Pednekar P, Amoah K, Homer R, et al. Case report: bullous lung disease following COVID-19. Front Med 2021;8:770778.
Rocco PR, Souza AB, Faffe DS, et al. Effect of corticosteroid on lung parenchyma remodeling at an early phase of acute lung injury. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003;168:677-84.
Li J, Liao X, Zhou Y, et al. Association between glucocorticoids treatment and viral clearance delay in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis 2021;21:1063.

How to Cite

Petroncini, Matteo, Leonardo Valentini, Piergiorgio Solli, and Pietro Bertoglio. 2023. “Giant Lung Bulla As a Late-Onset Complication of Mild SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 94 (3). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2559.

Similar Articles

<< < 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.