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PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate lung parenchyma on paired inspiration-expiration thin-section computed tomographic (CT) scans in patients recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: After the institutional review board approved the study and written consent was obtained from patients, 40 patients (25 female, 15 male; mean age, 42.8 years ± 12.3 [standard deviation]) underwent thin-section CT at 51.8 days ± 20.2 after onset of SARS symptoms. Twenty of the 40 patients underwent follow-up thin-section CT at 140.7 days ± 26.7 after symptom onset. Lung findings were scored according to extent and then grouped in three categories (ground-glass opacity, interstitial opacity, and air trapping) for analysis. Mean CT scores for each finding in the various patient subgroups were compared by using the Mann-Whitney test. Clinical parameters and scores were …