ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore the chest computed tomography (CT) and pulmonary function findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors 1 month after discharge. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the chest CT and pulmonary function findings of 158 (COVID-19) survivors who were discharged and followed up at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital from April 9 to May 10, 2020. RESULTS: Follow-up chest CT revealed that pulmonary lesions in all patients were clearly absorbed and dissipated. One month after discharge, 125 (79.1%) patients had residual imaging abnormalities, mainly light ground-glass opacities (44.9%) and light patchy shadows (38.6%). Other features included fibrous cord lesions in 90 cases (57.0%), pulmonary nodules in 46 cases (29.1%), pleural thickening in 44 cases (27.8%), and mediastinal lymphadenopathy in 81 cases (51.3%). Among 158 COVID-19 survivors, 124 were tested for pulmonary function. Pulmonary function tests revealed pulmonary function impairment in 10 patients (8.1%), restrictive ventilation dysfunction in 16 (12.9%), and pulmonary diffusion dysfunction in 48 (38.7%). Residual lung lesions and pleural thickening were negatively correlated with DLCO% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients have characteristic findings on chest CT and pulmonary function testing. Identifying these findings is helpful to dynamically monitor the disease prognosis.