The disease caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), designated COVID-19, emerged in late 2019 in China, in the city of Wuhan (Hubei province), and showed exponential growth in that country. It subsequently spread to all continents, and infection with SARS-CoV-2 is now classified as a pandemic. Given the magnitude achieved, scientific interest in COVID-19 has also grown in the international literature, including its manifestations on imaging studies, particularly on CT. To date, no case series have been published in Brazil. Therefore, our objective was to describe the CT findings in an initial series of 12 patients.

Keywords: Coronavirus infections; Coronavirus; Multidetector computed tomography.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a new method for the diagnosis and staging of mediastinal lymph nodes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preliminary results obtained with EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis of lesions and mediastinal lymph node staging. Methods: We evaluated patients with tumors or mediastinal adenopathy, diagnosed with or suspected of having lung cancer. The procedures were performed with the patients under sedation or under general anesthesia. Material was collected by EBUS-TBNA, after which it was prepared on slides, fixed in either absolute alcohol (for cytology) or formalin (for cell-block analysis). Results: We included 50 patients (30 males). The mean age was 58.3 ± 13.5 years. We performed 201 biopsies of 81 lymph nodes or mediastinal masses (mean of 2.5 punctures/biopsy). The quantity of material was considered sufficient for cytology in 37 patients (74%), 21 (57%) of whom were thus diagnosed with malignancy. Of the remaining 16 patients, 1 was diagnosed with tuberculosis, 6 entered clinical follow-up, and 9  underwent further investigation (2 diagnosed with neoplasm-false-negative results). The yield was higher when the procedure was performed for diagnostic purposes, as well as being higher in patients with lesions in multiple stations and in biopsies involving the subcarinal lymph node station. One patient had endobronchial bleeding, which was resolved with local measures. There were no deaths among the patients evaluated. Conclusions: This preliminary experience shows that EBUS-TBNA is a safe procedure. Our diagnostic yield, although lower than that reported in the literature, was consistent with the learning curve for the method.

Keywords: Ultrasonography, interventional; Biopsy, fine-needle; Neoplasm staging; Lung neoplasms; Bronchoscopy.

Objective: To describe the morbidity, mortality, and rate of complete resection associated with robotic surgery for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Brazil, as well as to report the rates of overall survival and disease-free survival in patients so treated. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma and undergoing resection by robotic surgery at one of six hospitals in Brazil between February of 2015 and July of 2018. Data were collected retrospectively from the electronic medical records. Results: A total of 154 patients were included. The mean age was 65 ± 9.5 years (range, 30-85 years). The main histological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma, which was identified in 128 patients (81.5%), followed by epidermoid carcinoma, identified in 14 (9.0%). Lobectomy was performed in 133 patients (86.3%), and segmentectomy was performed in 21 (13.7%). The mean operative time was 209 ± 80 min. Postoperative complications occurred in 32 patients (20.4%). The main complication was air leak, which occurred in 15 patients (9.5%). The median (interquartile range) values for hospital stay and drainage time were 4 days (3-6 days) and 2 days (2-4 days), respectively. There was one death in the immediate postoperative period (30-day mortality rate, 0.5%). The mean follow-up period was 326 ± 274 days (range, 3-1,110 days). Complete resection was achieved in 97.4% of the cases. Overall mortality was 1.5% (3 deaths), and overall survival was 97.5%. Conclusions: Robotic pulmonary resection proved to be a safe treatment for lung cancer. Longer follow-up periods are required in order to assess long-term survival.

Keywords: Lung neoplasms/surgery; Lung neoplasms/mortality; Robotic surgical procedures.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of alternative diagnoses based on chest CT angiography (CTA) in patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) who tested negative for PTE, as well as whether those alternative diagnoses had been considered prior to the CTA. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study involving 191 adult patients undergoing CTA for suspected PTE between September of 2009 and May of 2012. Chest X-rays and CTAs were reviewed to determine whether the findings suggested an alternative diagnosis in the cases not diagnosed as PTE. Data on symptoms, risk factors, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, and mortality were collected. Results: On the basis of the CTA findings, PTE was diagnosed in 47 cases (24.6%). Among the 144 patients not diagnosed with PTE via CTA, the findings were abnormal in 120 (83.3%). Such findings were consistent with an alternative diagnosis that explained the symptoms in 75 patients (39.3%). Among those 75 cases, there were only 39 (20.4%) in which the same alterations had not been previously detected on chest X-rays. The most common alternative diagnosis, made solely on the basis of the CTA findings, was pneumonia (identified in 20 cases). Symptoms, risk factors, comorbidities, and the in-hospital mortality rate did not differ significantly between the patients with and without PTE. However, the median hospital stay was significantly longer in the patients with PTE than in those without (18.0 and 9.5 days, respectively; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Our results indicate that chest CTA is useful in cases of suspected PTE, because it can confirm the diagnosis and reveal findings consistent with an alternative diagnosis in a significant number of patients.

Keywords: Pulmonary embolism/diagnosis; Pulmonary embolism/epidemiology; Angiography.

Objective: To describe the differences in the clinical and radiological presentation of tuberculosis in the presence or absence of HIV infection. Methods: A sample of 231 consecutive adults with active pulmonary tuberculosis admitted to a tuberculosis hospital were studied, assessing HIV infection, AIDS, and associated factors, as well as re-evaluating chest X-rays. Results: There were 113 HIV-positive patients (49%) Comparing the 113 HIV-positive patients (49%) to the 118 HIV-negative patients (51%), the former presented a higher frequency of atypical pulmonary tuberculosis (pulmonary lesions accompanied by intrathoracic lymph node enlargement), hematogenous tuberculosis, and pulmonary tuberculosis accompanied by superficial lymph node enlargement, as well as presenting less pulmonary cavitation. The same was found when HIV-positive patients with AIDS were compared to those without AIDS. There were no differences between the HIV-positive patients without AIDS and the HIV-negative patients. Median CD4 counts were lower in HIV-positive patients with intrathoracic lymph node enlargement and pulmonary lesions than in the HIV-positive patients with pulmonary lesions only (47 vs. 266 cells/mm3; p < 0.0001), in HIV-positive patients with AIDS than in those without AIDS (136 vs. 398 cells/mm3; p < 0.0001) and in patients with atypical pulmonary tuberculosis than in those with other forms of tuberculosis (31 vs. 258 cells/mm3; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Atypical forms and disseminated disease predominate among patients with advanced immunosuppression. In regions where TB prevalence is high, the presence of atypical pulmonary tuberculosis or pulmonary tuberculosis accompanied by superficial lymph node enlargement should be considered an AIDS-defining condition.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, pulmonary; HIV infections; Radiography, thoracic.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a multisystemic inflammatory illness of unknown etiology, characterized by vasculitis of small and medium caliber vessels. The most common clinical manifestations involve the upper respiratory tract, lungs and kidneys. Common alterations in imaging studies include pulmonary opacities and bilateral multiple nodules, cavitations occurring in 50% of the cases. Treatment includes corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. We describe an atypical case of a 61-year-old man initially investigated due to suspicion of a unilateral lung tumor, which proved to be, in fact, a case of Wegener's granulomatosis.

Keywords: Wegener's Granulomatosis; Vasculitis; Diagnosis, differential; Lung neoplasms.

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital anomaly, characterized by nonfunctional embryonic pulmonary tissue. Pulmonary sequestration accounts for 0.15-6.40% of all congenital pulmonary malformations. This anomaly, which is classified as intralobar or extralobar, involves the lung parenchyma and its vascularization. We report the case of a 56-year-old male presenting with hemoptysis. A chest X-ray showed an area of opacity behind the cardiac silhouette in the base of the left hemithorax. Chest CT scans with intravenous contrast revealed pulmonary sequestration. The patient underwent surgery, in which the anomalous tissue was successful resected. The postoperative evolution was favorable, and the patient was discharged to outpatient treatment.

Keywords: Hemoptysis; Bronchopulmonary sequestration; Tomography, spiral computed.

We present a protocol to test a new surgical procedure for the treatment of patients with diffuse lung emphysema who, after having received the golden standard treatment (pulmonary rehabilitation), continue to present respiratory failure with disabling dyspnea. Ten patients with severe lung hyperinflation will be evaluated. The method proposed is designed to create alternative expiratory passages for air trapped in the emphysematous lung by draining the lung parenchyma, thereby establishing communication between the alveoli and the external environment. The ten patients selected will be required to meet the inclusion criteria and to give written informed consent. Those ten patients will be included in the study pending the approval of the Ethics in Research Committee of the São Paulo Santa Casa School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil. The protocol we will employ in order to evaluate the proposed procedure is feasible and will show whether debilitated patients suffering from diffuse pulmonary emphysema can benefit from this procedure, which could represent an alternative to lung transplant or lung volume reduction surgery, the only options currently available.

Keywords: Pulmonary emphysema; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Lung, hyperlucent.

Objective: To describe the incidence of active tuberculosis and the occurrence of adverse events after isoniazid treatment in patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) who also had chronic inflammatory diseases and were treated with immunobiologic agents in an endemic area in Brazil. Methods: The diagnosis of LTBI was based on anamnesis, clinical examination, chest X-ray, and a tuberculin skin test (TST). Patients received prophylactic treatment (isoniazid for six months) in accordance with the Brazilian guidelines. Results: A total of 101 patients were evaluated between July of 2011 and July of 2015. Of those, 55 (54.46%) were women (mean age, 53.16 ± 1.76 years) and 46 (45.54%) were men (mean age, 45.39 ± 2.13 years). A total of 79 patients (78.22%) were being treated with immunobiologic agents and 22 (21.78%) were being treated with immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive agents. In the screening for LTBI, 53 patients (52.48%) had a TST induration ≥ 10 mm. Chest X-ray findings consistent with LTBI were observed in 36 patients (35.64%). Isoniazid preventive therapy was effective in 96 (95.05%) of the 101 patients evaluated. It is of note that 84 (83.17%) of the patients experienced no adverse effects from the use of isoniazid and that 83 (98.81%) of those patients completed the prophylactic treatment (p = 0.002). Active tuberculosis was diagnosed in 5 (6.33%) of the 79 patients treated with immunobiologic agents and in 1 (4.55%) of the 22 patients treated with other immunomodulators/immunosuppressants. Conclusions: A six-month course of isoniazid proved to be safe and effective in the treatment of LTBI, which is essential to reducing the risk of developing active tuberculosis.

Keywords: Latent tuberculosis; Tuberculin test; Tumor necrosis factors/antagonists & inhibitors; Isoniazid.

Objective: To investigate the impact of impaired pulmonary function on patient-centered outcomes after hospital discharge due to severe COVID-19 in patients without preexisting respiratory disease. Methods: This is an ongoing prospective cohort study evaluating patients (> 18 years of age) 2-6 months after hospital discharge due to severe COVID-19. Respiratory symptoms, health-related quality of life, lung function, and the six-minute walk test were assessed. A restrictive ventilatory defect was defined as TLC below the lower limit of normal, as assessed by plethysmography. Chest CT scans performed during hospitalization were scored for the presence and extent of parenchymal abnormalities. Results: At a mean follow-up of 17.2 ± 5.9 weeks after the diagnosis of COVID-19, 120 patients were assessed. Of those, 23 (19.2%) reported preexisting chronic respiratory diseases and presented with worse lung function and exertional dyspnea at the follow-up visit in comparison with their counterparts. When we excluded the 23 patients with preexisting respiratory disease plus another 2 patients without lung volume measurements, a restrictive ventilatory defect was observed in 42/95 patients (44%). This subgroup of patients (52.4% of whom were male; mean age, 53.9 ± 11.3 years) showed reduced resting gas exchange efficiency (DLCO), increased daily-life dyspnea, increased exertional dyspnea and oxygen desaturation, and reduced health-related quality of life in comparison with those without reduced TLC (50.9% of whom were male; mean age, 58.4 ± 11.3 years). Intensive care need and higher chest CT scores were associated with a subsequent restrictive ventilatory defect. Conclusions: The presence of a restrictive ventilatory defect approximately 4 months after severe COVID-19 in patients without prior respiratory comorbidities implies worse clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome; Respiratory function tests; Exercise test; Quality of life; Follow-up studies.

Objective: Behcet's syndrome, or Behcet's disease (BD), is a multisystem pathology, and survival is related to pulmonary involvement. However, it appears that different treatments correlate with different prognoses. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and tomographic evolution, as well as the survival, of patients with BD-related pulmonary involvement. Methods: A retrospective review of our experience with pulmonary manifestations in patients with BD treated at our institution between January 1, 1988 and April 30, 2006. The clinical, radiological, treatment and survival data were obtained from medical charts. Results: We identified 9 patients with BD-related pulmonary involvement. The mean age was 34 ± 11.5 years, and 7 of the patients were male. The radiological findings were as follows: pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) in 8 patients; pulmonary embolism in 3 (translating to an incidence of 5.11 cases/100 patient-years); alveolar hemorrhage in one; and pulmonary hypertension in one. The treatment consisted of immunosuppression with prednisone plus chlorambucil (or cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil) in all patients, with partial or complete resolution of the PAAs. One patient with a PAA and pulmonary hypertension also received sildenafil and warfarin, with good clinical and tomographic response (the first report in the English literature). In our sample, the mean duration of the follow-up period was 6.52 years. The three-year survival rate was 88.8%, as was the five-year survival rate. Conclusions: Patients with BD-related pulmonary involvement can present good survival with immunosuppressive therapy, and BD should be borne in mind as a possible cause of pulmonary hypertension and alveolar hemorrhage.

Keywords: Behcet Syndrome; Lung diseases, interstitial; Pulmonary circulation; Hypertension, pulmonary; Pulmonary embolism; Alveolar.

Objective: To investigate the detection of subsolid nodules (SSNs) on chest CT scans of outpatients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to correlate the imaging findings with epidemiological data. We hypothesized that (pre)malignant nonsolid nodules were underdiagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic because of an overlap of imaging findings between SSNs and COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: This was a retrospective study including all chest CT scans performed in adult outpatients (> 18 years of age) in September of 2019 (i.e., before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in September of 2020 (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic). The images were reviewed by a thoracic radiologist, and epidemiological data were collected from patient-filled questionnaires and clinical referrals. Regression models were used in order to control for confounding factors. Results: A total of 650 and 760 chest CT scans were reviewed for the 2019 and 2020 samples, respectively. SSNs were found in 10.6% of the patients in the 2019 sample and in 7.9% of those in the 2020 sample (p = 0.10). Multiple SSNs were found in 23 and 11 of the patients in the 2019 and 2020 samples, respectively. Women constituted the majority of the study population. The mean age was 62.8 ± 14.8 years in the 2019 sample and 59.5 ± 15.1 years in the 2020 sample (p < 0.01). COVID-19 accounted for 24% of all referrals for CT examination in 2020. Conclusions: Fewer SSNs were detected on chest CT scans of outpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic, although the difference was not significant. In addition to COVID-19, the major difference between the 2019 and 2020 samples was the younger age in the 2020 sample. We can assume that fewer SSNs will be detected in a population with a higher proportion of COVID-19 suspicion or diagnosis.

Keywords: Solitary pulmonary nodule; Multiple pulmonary nodules; Lung neoplasms/diagnostic imaging; Tomography, X-ray computed; COVID-19.

Objective: To evaluate chest X-rays of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and to determine whether the extent of radiographic lesions correlates with bacteriological parameters. Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive study, we evaluated chest X-rays, as well as AFB detection by smear microscopy and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, initially and during the first two months of treatment, in 800 male patients hospitalized between 1995 and the present at a 250-bed hospital in northwestern Turkey. Results: The initial mean ESR was 58 ± 37 mm/h. Initial sputum smears and cultures were positive in 83.8% and 89.5% of the patients, respectively. After the first month of treatment, the proportion of patients with positive sputum culture was higher among those with cavitary tuberculosis than among those with non-cavitary tuberculosis (53.7% vs. 37.7%, p < 0.001). The number of affected zones was not correlated with age, symptom duration, contact with an active tuberculosis patient, or concomitant diabetes (p > 0.05 for all) but was positively correlated with the ESR (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). During the first and second months of treatment, conversion to smear-negative status was less common in patients with bilateral involvement than in those with unilateral involvement (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002 for months 1 and 2, respectively). Disease extent did not correlate with age, symptom duration, contact with an active tuberculosis patient, or concomitant diabetes but did correlate with delayed bacteriological recovery. Conclusions: Chest X-ray and bacteriology are valuable tools for the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis

Keywords: Radiography, thoracic; Bacteriology; Tuberculosis, pulmonary/drug therapy.

Objective: To describe the implementation of a robotic thoracic surgery program at a public tertiary teaching hospital and to analyze its initial results. Methods: This was a planned interim analysis of a randomized clinical trial aimed at comparing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and robotic surgery in terms of the results obtained after pulmonary lobectomy. The robotic surgery program developed at the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, is a multidisciplinary initiative involving various surgical specialties, as well as anesthesiology, nursing, and clinical engineering teams. In this analysis, we evaluated the patients included in the robotic lobectomy arm of the trial during its first three months (from April to June of 2015). Results: Ten patients were included in this analysis. There were eight women and two men. The mean age was 65.1 years. All of the patients presented with peripheral tumors. We performed right upper lobectomy in four patients, right lower lobectomy in four, and left upper lobectomy in two. Surgical time varied considerably (range, 135-435 min). Conversion to open surgery or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was not necessary in any of the cases. Intraoperative complications were not found. Only the first patient required postoperative transfer to the ICU. There were no deaths or readmissions within the first 30 days after discharge. The only postoperative complication was chest pain (grade 3), in two patients. Pathological examination revealed complete tumor resection in all cases. Conclusions: When there is integration and proper training of all of the teams involved, the implementation of a robotic thoracic surgery program is feasible and can reduce morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: Pneumonectomy; Robotic surgical procedures; Thoracic surgery; Minimally invasive surgical procedures; Lung neoplasms.