Article Text
Abstract
Two 59-year-old male patients with COVID-19 pneumonia developed pulmonary cavitation with air-fluid level, accompanied by right-sided chest pain several weeks after first onset of symptoms. Considering a possible bacterial abscess formation, both patients were started on antibiotics. No microbiological pathogen was detected in further investigations (sputum analysis, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and CT-guided drainage of the cavitation). Histopathological analysis of the drained fluid was non-specific, and the aetiology remained not fully understood. We report pulmonary cavitation as a rare finding in late stage COVID-19 pneumonia. As both our patients presented with localised chest pain prior to detection of the lesions, new onset of this symptom should warrant further investigation.
- pneumonia (infectious disease)
- radiology
- pneumonia (respiratory medicine)
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Footnotes
Twitter @mimuMD
Contributors MM wrote the main part of the manuscript, supported by ES and FJW. PM contributed to revising and finalising the manuscript. All authors were involved in the patients’ care.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.