tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pediatr Radiol
. 2024 Mar 28.
doi: 10.1007/s00247-024-05908-6. Online ahead of print. Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with neurological complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (Omicron variant): a multicenter retrospective observational study
Chun Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yujuan Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jian Hou[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Meiyun Xin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Qin Jiang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mingying Han[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xiaomei Li[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yelong Shen[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ximing Wang[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Mo Wang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Youpeng Jin[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: An increasing rate of encephalopathy associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been observed among children. However, the literature on neuroimaging data in children with COVID-19 is limited.
Objective: To analyze brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pediatric COVID-19 patients with neurological complications.
Materials and methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study analyzed clinical (n=102, 100%) and neuroimaging (n=93, 91.2%) data of 102 children with COVID-19 infections and comorbid acute neurological symptoms. These children were hospitalized at five pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in China between December 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023.
Results: All patients were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as detected via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. About 75.7% of the children were infected with the Omicron variant BF.7 strain. Brain MRI was performed 1-12 days following the onset of neurological symptoms, which revealed acute neuroimaging findings in 74.2% (69/93) of cases, including evidence of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (33/69, 47.8%), encephalitis (31/69, 44.9%), reversible splenial lesion syndrome (3/69, 4.3%), reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy (1/69, 1.4%), and hippocampal atrophy (1/69, 1.4%).
Conclusions: Overall, these data highlighted five neuroimaging patterns associated with the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, with acute necrotizing encephalopathy being the most common of these neuroimaging findings. Rarely, the brain MRI of these pediatric COVID-19 patients also demonstrate hippocampal atrophy.
Keywords: Brain; COVID-19; Child; Magnetic resonance imaging; Neuroimaging.
. 2024 Mar 28.
doi: 10.1007/s00247-024-05908-6. Online ahead of print. Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with neurological complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (Omicron variant): a multicenter retrospective observational study
Chun Zhao[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yujuan Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jian Hou[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Meiyun Xin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Qin Jiang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mingying Han[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xiaomei Li[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yelong Shen[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ximing Wang[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Mo Wang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Youpeng Jin[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38538753
- DOI: 10.1007/s00247-024-05908-6
Background: An increasing rate of encephalopathy associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been observed among children. However, the literature on neuroimaging data in children with COVID-19 is limited.
Objective: To analyze brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pediatric COVID-19 patients with neurological complications.
Materials and methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study analyzed clinical (n=102, 100%) and neuroimaging (n=93, 91.2%) data of 102 children with COVID-19 infections and comorbid acute neurological symptoms. These children were hospitalized at five pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in China between December 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023.
Results: All patients were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as detected via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. About 75.7% of the children were infected with the Omicron variant BF.7 strain. Brain MRI was performed 1-12 days following the onset of neurological symptoms, which revealed acute neuroimaging findings in 74.2% (69/93) of cases, including evidence of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (33/69, 47.8%), encephalitis (31/69, 44.9%), reversible splenial lesion syndrome (3/69, 4.3%), reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy (1/69, 1.4%), and hippocampal atrophy (1/69, 1.4%).
Conclusions: Overall, these data highlighted five neuroimaging patterns associated with the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, with acute necrotizing encephalopathy being the most common of these neuroimaging findings. Rarely, the brain MRI of these pediatric COVID-19 patients also demonstrate hippocampal atrophy.
Keywords: Brain; COVID-19; Child; Magnetic resonance imaging; Neuroimaging.