Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cardiac Involvement in COVID-19

Br J Radiol. 2024 Apr 24:tqae086. doi: 10.1093/bjr/tqae086. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to a diverse pattern of myocardial injuries, including myocarditis, which is linked to adverse outcomes in patients. Research indicates that myocardial injury is associated with higher mortality in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients (75.8% versus 9.7%). Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) has emerged as a crucial tool in diagnosing both ischemic and non-ischemic myocardial injuries, providing detailed insights into the impact of COVID-19 on myocardial tissue and function. This review synthesizes existing studies on the histopathological findings and CMR imaging patterns of myocardial injuries in COVID-19 patients. CMR imaging has revealed a complex pattern of cardiac damage in these patients, including myocardial inflammation, oedema, fibrosis, and ischemic injury, due to coronary microthrombi. This review also highlights the role of LLC criteria in diagnosis of COVID-related myocarditis and the importance of CMR in detecting cardiac complications of COVID-19 in specific groups, such as children, manifesting multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) and athletes, as well as myocardial injuries post-COVID-19 infection or following COVID-19 vaccination. By summarizing existing studies on CMR in COVID-19 patients and highlighting ongoing research, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of the cardiac impacts of...
Source: The British Journal of Radiology - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research