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The following is a summary of “Trans-bronchial forceps biopsy for COVID-19 related diffuse parenchymal lung abnormalities,” published in the December 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Kleymann et al.
The role of lung biopsy in assessing persistent chest radiographic abnormalities, such as secondary organizing pneumonia (OP), in COVID-19 is still uncertain.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the diagnostic value of trans-bronchial forceps biopsy (TBFB) in patients with persistent lung abnormalities on thoracic computed tomography (CT) following SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on cases with OP and individuals with immunocompromised (IC) systems.
They analyzed all TBFBs performed for diffuse lung parenchymal changes following COVID-19 from March 2020 to June 2023.
The results showed that 27 consecutive TBFB were performed, including 23 in patients with IC system. All samples contained alveolar tissue, with a high frequency of OP identified in 12 of 27 samples (44%). Steroids were administered to 21 of 27 patients (78%), including 11 of 12 (92%) with OP. At discharge, 89% of patients had favorable clinical outcomes, with 92% of those having OP.
Investigators concluded that TBFB is valuable for diagnosing diffuse parenchymal lung abnormalities in COVID-19, including frequent OP pattern, particularly in patients with critical illness, though more extensive studies are needed to confirm the findings and determine the optimal steroid treatment approach.
Source: bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-024-03449-0