tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Neuroradiol
. 2021 Mar 26.
doi: 10.1007/s00062-021-01008-2. Online ahead of print.
Cerebrovascular Complications and Vessel Wall Imaging in COVID-19 Encephalopathy-A Pilot Study
Marjolaine Uginet[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gautier Breville[SUP] 1 [/SUP], J?r?my Hofmeister[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Paolo Machi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Patrice H Lalive[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Rosi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Aikaterini Fitsiori[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maria Isabel Vargas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Frederic Assal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gilles Allali[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Karl-Olof Lovblad[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with several complications of the central nervous system (CNS), including acute encephalopathy.
Methods: In this pilot study, we report a series of 39 patients (66.5 ? 9.2 years; 10.3% female) with acute encephalopathy, who underwent a standard brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5 T during the acute symptomatic phase. In addition to diffusion-weighted imaging, MR angiography and susceptibility-weighted images, high-resolution vascular black blood sequences (in 34 cases) were used to investigate the vasculature of the brain.
Results: In 29 out of 34 patients with COVID-19 encephalopathy (85%) with high-resolution vessel wall imaging, we found a circular enhancement and thickening of the basilar and vertebral arteries, without any correlation with ischemia or microbleeds (reported in 21% and 59%, respectively).
Conclusion: We report a high prevalence of vascular changes suggestive of endotheliitis as reported in other organs. This could suggest an inflammatory mechanism underlying this encephalopathy.
Keywords: Contrast agent; Diffusion; Inflammation; MRI; SWI; Stroke.
. 2021 Mar 26.
doi: 10.1007/s00062-021-01008-2. Online ahead of print.
Cerebrovascular Complications and Vessel Wall Imaging in COVID-19 Encephalopathy-A Pilot Study
Marjolaine Uginet[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gautier Breville[SUP] 1 [/SUP], J?r?my Hofmeister[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Paolo Machi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Patrice H Lalive[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Rosi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Aikaterini Fitsiori[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maria Isabel Vargas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Frederic Assal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gilles Allali[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Karl-Olof Lovblad[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33770199
- DOI: 10.1007/s00062-021-01008-2
Abstract
Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with several complications of the central nervous system (CNS), including acute encephalopathy.
Methods: In this pilot study, we report a series of 39 patients (66.5 ? 9.2 years; 10.3% female) with acute encephalopathy, who underwent a standard brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5 T during the acute symptomatic phase. In addition to diffusion-weighted imaging, MR angiography and susceptibility-weighted images, high-resolution vascular black blood sequences (in 34 cases) were used to investigate the vasculature of the brain.
Results: In 29 out of 34 patients with COVID-19 encephalopathy (85%) with high-resolution vessel wall imaging, we found a circular enhancement and thickening of the basilar and vertebral arteries, without any correlation with ischemia or microbleeds (reported in 21% and 59%, respectively).
Conclusion: We report a high prevalence of vascular changes suggestive of endotheliitis as reported in other organs. This could suggest an inflammatory mechanism underlying this encephalopathy.
Keywords: Contrast agent; Diffusion; Inflammation; MRI; SWI; Stroke.