CT features of acute COVID-19 and long-term follow-up

Abstract

Since the first few cases of pneumonia attributed to infection with the highly contagious novel coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2) were detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, imaging has proven an invaluable diagnostic tool throughout the resulting global pandemic. This review describes the imaging features of severe pulmonary disease caused by SARs-CoV-2, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), particularly focussing on computed tomography (CT). CT plays an important role in understanding the pathology behind the progression of disease, as well as helping to identify the potential complications of COVID-19 pneumonia and recognising possible alternative or concurrent diagnoses. This review also focusses on follow-up imaging of survivors of COVID-19, which continues to contribute substantially to our understanding of the longer-term pulmonary changes in patients who have survived severe COVID-19 pneumonia.