Surgical Resections of Superinfected Pneumatoceles in a COVID-19 Patient

Emerging studies on radiologic findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report a high incidence of bilateral lung involvement, with ground-glass opacities imaging being the most common pattern on computed tomography. Cystic lesions, such as pneumatoceles, are rare, although they may occur in 10% of cases. Cyst formation may be explained by a focal pulmonary trauma caused by mechanical ventilation or infection-related damage to the alveolar walls leading to pneumatoceles. The superinfection of pneumatoceles is a potential life-threatening condition for which no standardized therapeutic algorithm has been accepted. We report a case of a COVID-19 patient successfully treated by lung resections for infected pneumatoceles. (C) 2021 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons