Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Radiol. Sep 28, 2021; 13(9): 294-306
Published online Sep 28, 2021. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v13.i9.294
Review on radiological evolution of COVID-19 pneumonia using computed tomography
Chiara Casartelli, Fabiana Perrone, Maurizio Balbi, Veronica Alfieri, Gianluca Milanese, Sebastiano Buti, Mario Silva, Nicola Sverzellati, Melissa Bersanelli
Chiara Casartelli, Fabiana Perrone, Sebastiano Buti, Melissa Bersanelli, Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma 43126, Italy
Chiara Casartelli, Fabiana Perrone, Nicola Sverzellati, Melissa Bersanelli, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma 43126, Italy
Maurizio Balbi, Gianluca Milanese, Mario Silva, Nicola Sverzellati, Division of Radiology, University of Parma, Parma 43126, Italy
Veronica Alfieri, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Respiratory Disease and Lung Function Unit, University of Parma, Parma 43126, Italy
Author contributions: Bersanelli M, Perrone F and Casartelli C designed the work, planned the literature review according to PRISMA methods and identified the areas of interests to discuss; Perrone F and Casartelli C collected the data; Casartelli C, Balbi M and Alfieri V wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Bersanelli M revised the manuscript for relevant scientific content and copyediting; Buti S, Milanese G, Silva M and Sverzellati N revised the manuscript for relevant scientific content; All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Bersanelli M received honoraria as a speaker at scientific events by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), Novartis, Astra Zeneca, Pierre Fabre, and Pfizer and as a consultant for advisory role by Novartis, BMS, IPSEN, and Pfizer; she also received fees for copyright transfer by Sciclone Pharmaceuticals and research funding by Roche S.p.A., Seqirus UK, Pfizer, Novartis, BMS, Astra Zeneca, and Sanofi Genzyme. Buti S received honoraria as a speaker at scientific events and advisory role by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), Pfizer; MSD, Ipsen, Roche, Eli-Lilly, AstraZeneca and Novartis; he also received research funding from Novartis. All the other authors declare they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Fabiana Perrone, MD, Doctor, Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Via A. Gramsci, 14, Parma 43126, Italy. fabiana.perrone89@libero.it
Received: February 26, 2021
Peer-review started: February 26, 2021
First decision: July 18, 2021
Revised: July 28, 2021
Accepted: August 13, 2021
Article in press: August 13, 2021
Published online: September 28, 2021
Processing time: 211 Days and 11.5 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Pneumonia is the main manifestation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Chest computed tomography is an effective way to detect and keep track of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia cases over time.

Research motivation

As of now, few studies evaluated serial computed tomography scan temporal changes during the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia.

Research objectives

This systematic review describes the dynamic evolution of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia, considering the available literature on this topic.

Research methods

A systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines was performed. Pertinent keywords on PubMed were used.

Research results

Different and well-defined stages characterized the first few weeks after the onset of the symptoms.

Research conclusions

A peak of lung involvement within the first 2 wk, followed by the gradual absorption of the lesions and the advent of repairing signs was observed. Later follow-up showed that lesions were usually not completely absorbed, at least up to 4 mo.

Research perspectives

Longer follow-up is needed to check whether the later signs are reversible and how they affect patients’ conditions.