The importance of the imaging methods in patients with COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Echocardiography, pulmonary CT and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) were have been used in detecting organ damage in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study is to compare imaging findings and clinical symptoms patients with COVID-19. Methods The study was conducted in our university clinical center. All pts underwent clinical examination, laboratory analysis, echocardiography, pulmonary CT and CMR. Results 126 pts with COVID-19 infection, 61 (48%) male, mean age 45±15years with symptoms of palpitation, fatigue, dyspnea and chest pain. Meantime from the onset of infection to observation was 107 days. In pts with palpitation, brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) was not higher (39.4±9.1 vs. 19.2±9.4 pg/ml, p = 0.075). In case of pts with dyspnea ejection fraction of the left ventricle (LVEF) as founded by echocardiography, was significantly lower (62±6 vs. 67±6%, p = 0.025). The CT severity score index was not significantly higher in patients with fatigue after acute infection (21.0±8.1 vs. 10.1±5.1, p = 0.060). Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was seen in 61/126 (48%) pts, distribution was predominantly in mid and epicardial layers 41/61 pts (67%), >3 segments were identified in 37/61 pts (61%), myocardial edema was seen in 50/126 pts (40%). The extracellular volume (ECV) quantification by CMR were significantly higher in patients with fatigue (22.6±3.8 vs. 19.7±5.2%, p = 0.010). There is no significant correlation between clinical symptoms and myocardial oedema by using T2FS. Conclusions Echocardiography and CMR are the most important imaging methods in risk stratification and optimal therapeutic strategies in pts with myocardial injury caused by COVID-19 infection.