COVID-19 Patient Associated with Rare Pneumatocele Finding: CT Features and Case Report

Background and Aim: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become pandemic across the world, especially in Indonesia. One of the rare complications reported due to COVID-19 is pulmonary pneumatocele. We aim to describe the COVID-19 patient case report with pneumatocele in CT-Scan findings.

Case Report: A 41-year-old man referred to our hospital with fever, dyspnea and a productive cough for seven days before admission. His chest X-ray and CT-Scan showed possible bilateral bronchopneumonia due to COVID-19 and confirmed with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. In the next two weeks, the second CT-Scan showed the development of pneumothorax dextra and pneumatocele dextra with a diameter of 7,8 cm. On the third follow up, CT-Scan revealed increasing diameter into 9,5 cm and air-fluid levels in pneumatocele. He was diagnosed with infected pneumatocele, and we gave antibiotics. The patient recovered after the twenty-third-day post-admission, then discharged from hospital after twice a negative of nasopharynx swab result and resolution of symptoms.

Conclusion: Pneumatocele is one of the rare abnormality findings in COVID-19 patients. If the clinician suspect pneumatocele finding, the progressivity of disease should be monitored due to the possibility of complicated pneumatocele.