Abstract
Objective: to compare COVID-19 patients’ vessel caliber with that of normal lungs and lungs interested by other inflammatory and thromboembolic processes. Methods: between March and April 2020, 42 patients affected by COVID-19 pneumonia [COV-P] underwent a CT scan of the lung at Verona University Hospital for clinical indications. Lung images were compared to 4 different groups of patients (normal lung [NL], distal thromboembolism [DTE], bacterial and fungal pneumonia [Bact-P, Fung-P]) by a 4-year-experienced radiologist. Results: COV-P patients’ segmental and subsegmental vessels, as evaluated as the ratio with the corresponding bronchial branch (V/B ratio) were larger with respect to NL, DTE in the apparently healthy parenchyma, a result confirmed in the zones of opacification with respect to Bact-P and Fung-P. Conclusions: This is the first study to comparatively showing that segmental and subsegmental COVID-19 patients’ vessel caliber is significantly enlarged. This is a distinctive feature of COVID-19 pneumonia suggesting distinct pathophysiology as compared to other inflammatory and thromboembolic diseases and alerting radiologists to consider it when evaluating CT scan of suspected patients.
Controversy between Obesity and Complications in Thromboembolic Disease, Series of Cases of Fuenlabrada University Hospital in Tinzaparine Treatment
