tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Can Assoc Radiol J
. 2021 Apr 21;8465371211002815.
doi: 10.1177/08465371211002815. Online ahead of print.
Neuroimaging Findings of Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients: A Canadian Retrospective Observational Study
Vibeeshan Jegatheeswaran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael W K Chan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sumon Chakrabarti[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Adrian Fawcett[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Yingming Amy Chen[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Purpose: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been associated with neurologic sequelae and neuroimaging abnormalities in several case series previously. In this study, the neuroimaging findings and clinical course of adult patients admitted with COVID-19 to a tertiary care hospital network in Canada were characterized.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary hospital network in Ontario, Canada. All adult patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 admitted from February 1, 2020 to July 22, 2020 who received neuroimaging related to their COVID-19 admission were included. CT and MR images were reviewed and categorized by fellowship-trained neuroradiologists. Demographic and clinical data were collected and correlated with imaging findings.
Results: We identified 422 patients admitted with COVID-19 during the study period. 103 (24.4%) met the inclusion criteria and were included: 30 ICU patients (29.1%) and 73 non-ICU patients (70.9%). A total of 198 neuroimaging studies were performed: 177 CTs and 21 MRIs. 17 out of 103 imaged patients (16.8%) had acute abnormalities on neuroimaging: 10 had macrohemorrhages (58.8%), 9 had acute ischemia (52.9%), 4 had SWI abnormalities (23.5%), and 1 had asymmetric sulcal effacement suggesting possible focal encephalitis (5.8%). ICU patients were more likely to have positive neuroimaging findings, more specifically acute ischemia and macrohemorrhages (P < 0.05). Macrohemorrhages were associated with increased mortality (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Macrohemorrhages, acute ischemia and SWI abnormalities were the main neuroimaging abnormalities in our cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Acute ischemia and hemorrhage were associated with worse clinical status.
Keywords: SWI; covid; ischemia; viral infection.
. 2021 Apr 21;8465371211002815.
doi: 10.1177/08465371211002815. Online ahead of print.
Neuroimaging Findings of Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients: A Canadian Retrospective Observational Study
Vibeeshan Jegatheeswaran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael W K Chan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sumon Chakrabarti[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Adrian Fawcett[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Yingming Amy Chen[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33881958
- DOI: 10.1177/08465371211002815
Abstract
Purpose: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been associated with neurologic sequelae and neuroimaging abnormalities in several case series previously. In this study, the neuroimaging findings and clinical course of adult patients admitted with COVID-19 to a tertiary care hospital network in Canada were characterized.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary hospital network in Ontario, Canada. All adult patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 admitted from February 1, 2020 to July 22, 2020 who received neuroimaging related to their COVID-19 admission were included. CT and MR images were reviewed and categorized by fellowship-trained neuroradiologists. Demographic and clinical data were collected and correlated with imaging findings.
Results: We identified 422 patients admitted with COVID-19 during the study period. 103 (24.4%) met the inclusion criteria and were included: 30 ICU patients (29.1%) and 73 non-ICU patients (70.9%). A total of 198 neuroimaging studies were performed: 177 CTs and 21 MRIs. 17 out of 103 imaged patients (16.8%) had acute abnormalities on neuroimaging: 10 had macrohemorrhages (58.8%), 9 had acute ischemia (52.9%), 4 had SWI abnormalities (23.5%), and 1 had asymmetric sulcal effacement suggesting possible focal encephalitis (5.8%). ICU patients were more likely to have positive neuroimaging findings, more specifically acute ischemia and macrohemorrhages (P < 0.05). Macrohemorrhages were associated with increased mortality (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Macrohemorrhages, acute ischemia and SWI abnormalities were the main neuroimaging abnormalities in our cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Acute ischemia and hemorrhage were associated with worse clinical status.
Keywords: SWI; covid; ischemia; viral infection.