PET/MRI reveals effects of COVID-19 vaccines in children

In this study, they hypothesized that F-18 FDG-PET/MRI may reveal activation in the thymus in pediatric oncology patients in addition to lymph node reactions.The group assessed scans of six children with extrathoracic cancer before and after COVID-19 vaccination. They analyzed both PET and MRI biomarkers, such as uptake of F-18 FDG radiotracer (maximum standard uptake values, or SUVmax), mean apparent diffusion coefficient on MRI, and size of the thymus and axillary lymph nodes.There was a significant increase in the metabolic activity in the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes across all patients after COVID-19 vaccination, according to the findings. The mean SUVmax increased by a factor of three, from 0.87 before vaccination to 2.61 after vaccination (p = 0.03).A graphic abstract describing the study. Image courtesy of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.In addition, all six patients demonstrated an increased size, increased metabolic activity, and restricted diffusion of the lymph nodes and thymus after COVID-19 vaccination. The mean SUVmax of the thymus increased twofold, from 1.77 before vaccination to 3.46 after vaccination.Finally, they noted that the mean size of the thymus, approximated as the product of the shortest and longest transverse diameters, increased 1.7-fold, from 7.02 centimeters to 11.91 centimeters.“Here we show for the first time, to our knowledge, that F-18 FDG-PET/MRI can reveal thymus activation in addition to local lymph node reactions in chi...

Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - October 30, 2023 Category: Radiology Authors: Will Morton Tags: Clinical News Molecular Imaging Source Type: news