Coronary inflammation on chest computed tomography and COVID-19 mortality

ConclusionCoronary inflammation, measured with PCAT on non-triggered HRCT, appeared to be independently associated with higher mortality in patients with severe COVID-19, while the pre-existent coronary atherosclerotic burden was not associated with adverse outcomes after adjustment for covariates.Clinical relevance statementThe current study demonstrates that a relatively simple measurement, peri-coronary adipose tissue attenuation (PCAT), available ex-post from standard high-resolution computed tomography, is strongly and independently associated with in-hospital mortality.Key Points• Coronary inflammation can be measured by the attenuation of peri-coronary adipose tissue (PCAT) on high-resolution CT (HRCT) without contrast media.• PCAT is strongly and independently associated with in-hospital mortality in SARS-CoV-2 patients.• PCAT might be considered an independent prognostic marker in COVID-19 patients if confirmed in other studies.
Source: European Radiology - Category: Radiology Source Type: research