The new UK strain was first described in December 2020. It was seen for the first time in Turkey in February 2021. It is not yet known whether the new strain has different CT patterns compared to the classical type. We present a 68-years-old male patient with an atypical CT presentation in which GGOs are gathered around the areas of paraseptal emphysema accompanied by CT and clinical findings. This involvement is an unexpected pattern because of the atypical distribution of the GGO.

Considering Patient Perspective Through Visual Representatives: Telemedicine Gives Voice to Rare Interstitial Lung Disease Patients - Thoracic Research and Practice

Background/Objectives: The association between past coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a potential research topic. We aimed to research the prevalence of previous COVID-19 infection in patients with PTE and to determine whether there is a difference in embolism severity in these cases. Methods: Study design: Multicenter, observational, cross-sectional. Patients diagnosed with PTE between 11 March 2022 and 11 March 2023 were prospectively included in this study, excluding cases with PTE along with active COVID-19, patients under the age of 18, and pregnant patients. Group 1 consisted of PTE cases with previous COVID-19, and Group 2 consisted of PTE cases without previous COVID-19. Key variables are D-Dimer level, right ventricle/left ventricle (RV/LV) ratio, simplified pulmonary embolism severity score, and treatment type. Results: A total of 1185 patients (Group 1; n = 360, Group 2; n = 825) were included in this study. The proportion of patients with RV/LV ratio > 1 on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was significantly high in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (27.9% vs. 19.7%, p = 0.003). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the absence of any identifiable risk factor for PTE was found to be a 0.46-fold protective factor in the presence of previous COVID-19 (OR: 0.456 95% CI: 0.274–0.760, Wald = 9.070, df = 1, p = 0.003) and an RV/LV ratio > 1 on CTPA was found to be a 0.60-fold protective factor (OR: 0.603, 95% CI: 0.365–0.998, Wald = 3.874, df = 1, p = 0.049). Conclusions: The prevalence of previous COVID-19 infection in PTE cases was 30.4%, and 26.3% of idiopathic cases had previous COVID-19 infection. Although the parameters related to embolism severity were higher in the non-COVID-19 group, multivariate analyses revealed a 2.2-fold increased risk for idiopathic PTE and a 1.7-fold increased risk for RV/LV ratio > 1 on CTPA in patients without COVID-19 compared to those with prior COVID-19.

The most common thoracic manifestation form of ankylosing spondylitis is apical fibrocystic changes. It is also known as apical fibrobullous disease (AFBD). The patient was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis before 9 years. He suffered COVID-19 infection and passed an intensive care period. However, post-covid fibrosis (PCF) atypically affected dominantly apical zones. If we had no sequential CT evaluations, our case could be easily confused with AFBD. On CT taken before COVID-19, the lung apex was normal. Thus, it was confirmed that there was no rheumatologic thoracic manifestation in the patient before suffering from COVID-19 pneumonia. PCF created similar changes as AFBD. Our case is the first reported paper on this topic.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been used in acute pulmonary thromboembolism as an alternative to warfarin due to drug interactions, narrow therapeutic range, and necessary close International Normalized Ratio (INR) monitoring. Phase 3 study results have reported that these drugs are at least as effective as warfarin and beneficial in terms of bleeding; however, studies that present up-to-date life data are necessary. Aims: To evaluate the frequency of using DOACs, which are prescribed with a limited number of indications in our country, and real-life data results. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: This cross-sectional survey collected the clinical data (history, current treatment, treatment duration, etc.) of patients with pulmonary thromboembolism and who applied to the physician for follow-up between October 15, 2019, and March 15, 2020. The researchers kept the patient records sequentially. Results: Data from 836 patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism from 25 centers were collected, and DOAC was used in 320 (38.5%) of them. The most preferred DOAC was rivaroxaban (n = 294, 91.9%). DOAC was mostly preferred because it could not provide an effective INR level with warfarin (n=133, 41.6%). Bleeding was observed in 13 (4%) patients. Conclusion: The use of direct oral anticoagulants is becoming almost as widespread as conventional therapy. Real-life data results are important for their contribution to clinical practice.