Scans reveal hidden lung damage in some long Covid patients

Researchers used xenon gas to detect potential lung damage in patients, writes Emily Atkinson

Researchers used xenon gas to detect potential lung damage in patients experiencing periods of breathlessness after having had the virus (Oxford Uni)

Some who suffer from long Covid have developed abnormalities in their lungs that cannot be detected with routine tests, a study has discovered.

Researchers used xenon gas to detect potential lung damage in the patients who have not been admitted to hospital, but were experiencing periods of breathlessness after having had the virus.

The odourless, colourless, tasteless and chemically non-reactive gas behaves similarly to oxygen, allowing radiologists to track its movement from the lungs and into the bloodstream.