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Emerging studies on radiologic findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report a high incidence of bilateral lung involvement, with ground-glass opacities imaging being the most common pattern on computed tomography. Cystic lesions, such as pneumatoceles, are rare, although they may occur in 10% of cases. Cyst formation may be explained by a focal pulmonary trauma caused by mechanical ventilation or infection-related damage to the alveolar walls leading to pneumatoceles. The superinfection of pneumatoceles is a potential life-threatening condition for which no standardized therapeutic algorithm has been accepted. We report a case of a COVID-19 patient successfully treated by lung resections for infected pneumatoceles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a case of lower bilobectomy complicated by a large bronchopleural fistula and empyema 1 month after primary surgery. The patient was immediately treated with an open window thoracostomy. After surgical debridement, an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device (AGA Medical Corp, Plymouth, MN) was positioned to close the fistula. Thereafter, the thoracostomy rapidly and spontaneously closed with vacuum-assisted closure therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spread through air spaces is suggested to be invasion way of lung parenchyma. • Spread through air spaces has been described around lung neuroendocrine neoplasms. • Spread through air spaces may be made up by hyperplastic neuroendocrine cells. • Spread through air spaces is likely to be an ex vivo artifact due to tissue manipulation. Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a recently proposed invasion way of lung cancer, including neuroendocrine (NE) neoplasms. However, if this phenomenon is a real one or an artifact while manipulating lung specimens, it is still matter of debate. Three consecutive patients with newly diagnosed diffuse idiopathic pulmonary NE cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) were reviewed for STAS. In well-fixed lung specimens, DIPNECH was seen to coexist with atypical carcinoid, bifocal typical carcinoid and adenocarcinoma in the three patients, respectively. While STAS was not observed at the growing edges of tumors, a few freely-floating aggregates of hyperplastic NE cells within air spaces were noticed to emanate from foci of NE hyperplasia and tumorlets and in intimate association with normal bronchiolar cells and erythrocytes to denote artifactual derivation upon tissue manipulation. Traveling of hyperplastic NE cells through air spaces is likely to artifactually occur via knife, surgeon or other way, thus challenging invasion by STAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]