Impact of COVID-19 pneumonia on pulmonary vascular volume.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia are well known. However, COVID-19 is also associated with a range of vascular manifestations such as embolism, congestion, and perfusion changes. Regarding congestion, research from different groups has suggested arteriovenous anastomosis dysregulation as a contributing factor. In this study, we aim to better describe the changes in vascular volume in affected lung zones and to relate them to pathophysiological hypotheses.

Methods

We performed automatic vascular volume extraction in 10 chest CTs of patients, including 2 female and 8 male with a mean age of 63.5 ± 9.3 years, diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia. We compared the proportion of vascular volumes between manually segmented regions of lung parenchyma with and without signs of pneumonia.

Results

The proportion of vascular volume was significantly higher in COVID (CVasc) compared to non-COVID (NCVasc) areas. We found a mean difference (DVasc) of 5% and a mean ratio (RVasc) of 3.7 between the two compartments (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Vascular volume in COVID-19 affected lung parenchyma is augmented relative to normal lung parenchyma, indicating venous congestion and supporting the hypothesis of pre-existing intra-pulmonary arteriovenous shunts.

SUBMITTER: Fahrni G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10073514 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature