Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals lung damage in nonhospitalized children and teens who either had COVID-19 up to a year earlier or have long-COVID symptoms, according to a single-center clinical trial published this week in Radiology.

Researchers in Germany evaluated changes in lung structure and function in 54 pediatric COVID-19 survivors and nine healthy controls aged 5 to 17 years using low-field MRI, which doesn't require children to hold their breath during imaging. Participants also contributed blood samples. The study was conducted from August to December 2021.