Post-COVID-19 encephalomyelitis.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a growing number of cases of acute transverse myelitis associated with COVID-19 have been reported. Here, we present the case of a patient who developed sensory ataxia after COVID-19 with MR lesions suggestive for longitudinal myelitis and in the splenium of the corpus callosum. The patient was successfully treated with immunoadsorption.

Patterns of acute ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage in patients with COVID-19 : Results of a retrospective multicenter neuroimaging-based study from three central European countries.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infection which can affect the central nervous system. In this study, we sought to investigate associations between neuroimaging findings with clinical, demographic, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) parameters, pre-existing conditions and the severity of acute COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective multicenter data retrieval from 10 university medical centers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria between February 2020 and September 2021. We included patients with COVID-19, acute neurological symptoms and cranial imaging. We collected demographics, neurological symptoms, COVID-19 severity, results of cranial imaging, blood and CSF parameters during the hospital stay. RESULTS: 442 patients could be included. COVID-19 severity was mild in 124 (28.1%) patients (moderate n = 134/30.3%, severe n = 43/9.7%, critical n = 141/31.9%). 220 patients (49.8%) presented with respiratory symptoms, 167 (37.8%) presented with neurological symptoms first. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) was detected in 70 (15.8%), intracranial hemorrhage (IH) in 48 (10.9%) patients. Typical risk factors were associated with AIS; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy and invasive ventilation with IH. No association was found between the severity of COVID-19 or blood/CSF parameters and the occurrence of AIS or IH. DISCUSSION: AIS was the most common finding on cranial imaging. IH was more prevalent than expected but a less common finding than AIS. Patients with IH had a distinct clinical profile compared to patients with AIS. There was no association between AIS or IH and the severity of COVID-19. A considerable proportion of patients presented with neurological symptoms first. Laboratory parameters have limited value as a screening tool.

Meaningful use of imaging resources to rule out cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccination: Evaluation of the AHA diagnostic algorithm with a clinical cohort and a systematic data review.

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVST) is an improbable (0.0005%), however potentially lethal complication after ChAdOx1 vaccination. On the other hand, headache is among the most frequent side effects of ChAdOx1 (29.3%). In September 2021, the American Heart Association (AHA) suggested a diagnostic workflow to facilitate risk-adapted use of imaging resources for patients with neurological symptoms after ChAdOx1. We aimed to evaluate the AHA workflow in a retrospective patient cohort presenting at four primary care hospitals in Germany for neurological complaints after ChAdOx1. Scientific literature was screened for case reports of VITT with CVST after ChAdOx1, published until September 1st, 2021. One-hundred-thirteen consecutive patients (77 female, mean age 38.7 +/- 11.9 years) were evaluated at our institutes, including one case of VITT with CVST. Further 228 case reports of VITT with CVST are published in recent literature, which share thrombocytopenia (225/227 reported) and elevated d-dimer levels (100/101 reported). The AHA workflow would have recognized all VITT cases with CVST (100% sensitivity), the number needed to diagnose (NND) was 1:113. Initial evaluation of thrombocytopenia or elevated d-dimer levels would have lowered the NND to 1:68, without cost of sensitivity. Hence, we suggest that in case of normal thrombocyte and d-dimer levels, the access to further diagnostics should be limited by the established clinical considerations regardless of vaccination history.

Coronary artery calcification on low-dose chest CT is an early predictor of severe progression of COVID-19-A multi-center, multi-vendor study.

PURPOSE: Cardiovascular comorbidity anticipates severe progression of COVID-19 and becomes evident by coronary artery calcification (CAC) on low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT). The purpose of this study was to predict a patient's obligation of intensive care treatment by evaluating the coronary calcium burden on the initial diagnostic LDCT. METHODS: Eighty-nine consecutive patients with parallel LDCT and positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were included from three centers. The primary endpoint was admission to ICU, tracheal intubation, or death in the 22-day follow-up period. CAC burden was represented by the Agatston score. Multivariate logistic regression was modeled for prediction of the primary endpoint by the independent variables "Agatston score > 0", as well as the CT lung involvement score, patient sex, age, clinical predictors of severe COVID-19 progression (history of hypertension, diabetes, prior cardiovascular event, active smoking, or hyperlipidemia), and laboratory parameters (creatinine, C-reactive protein, leucocyte, as well as thrombocyte counts, relative lymphocyte count, d-dimer, and lactate dehydrogenase levels). RESULTS: After excluding multicollinearity, "Agatston score >0" was an independent regressor within multivariate analysis for prediction of the primary endpoint (p<0.01). Further independent regressors were creatinine (p = 0.02) and leucocyte count (p = 0.04). The Agatston score was significantly higher for COVID-19 cases which completed the primary endpoint (64.2 [interquartile range 1.7-409.4] vs. 0 [interquartile range 0-0]). CONCLUSION: CAC scoring on LDCT might help to predict future obligation of intensive care treatment at the day of patient admission to the hospital.

Calcification of the thoracic aorta on low-dose chest CT predicts severe COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular comorbidity anticipates poor prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) and correlates with the systemic atherosclerotic transformation of the arterial vessels. The amount of aortic wall calcification (AWC) can be estimated on low-dose chest CT. We suggest quantification of AWC on the low-dose chest CT, which is initially performed for the diagnosis of COVID-19, to screen for patients at risk of severe COVID-19. METHODS: Seventy consecutive patients (46 in center 1, 24 in center 2) with parallel low-dose chest CT and positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were included in our multi-center, multi-vendor study. The outcome was rated moderate (no hospitalization, hospitalization) and severe (ICU, tracheal intubation, death), the latter implying a requirement for intensive care treatment. The amount of AWC was quantified with the CT vendor's software. RESULTS: Of 70 included patients, 38 developed a moderate, and 32 a severe COVID-19. The average volume of AWC was significantly higher throughout the subgroup with severe COVID-19, when compared to moderate cases (771.7 mm3 (Q1 = 49.8 mm3, Q3 = 3065.5 mm3) vs. 0 mm3 (Q1 = 0 mm3, Q3 = 57.3 mm3)). Within multivariate regression analysis, including AWC, patient age and sex, as well as a cardiovascular comorbidity score, the volume of AWC was the only significant regressor for severe COVID-19 (p = 0.004). For AWC > 3000 mm3, the logistic regression predicts risk for a severe progression of 0.78. If there are no visually detectable AWC risk for severe progression is 0.13, only. CONCLUSION: AWC seems to be an independent biomarker for the prediction of severe progression and intensive care treatment of COVID-19 already at the time of patient admission to the hospital; verification in a larger multi-center, multi-vendor study is desired.

Early extrapulmonary prognostic features in chest computed tomography in COVID-19 pneumonia: Bone mineral density is a relevant predictor for the clinical outcome - A multicenter feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Besides throat-nose swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR), unenhanced chest computed tomography (CT) is a recommended diagnostic tool for early detection and quantification of pulmonary changes in COVID-19 pneumonia caused by the novel corona virus. Demographic factors, especially age and comorbidities, are major determinants of the outcome in COVID-19 infection. This study examines the extra pulmonary parameter of bone mineral density (BMD) from an initial chest computed tomography as an associated variable of pre-existing comorbidities like chronic lung disease or demographic factors to determine the later patient's outcome, in particular whether treatment on an intensive care unit (ICU) was necessary in infected patients. METHODS: We analyzed 58 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infections that received an unenhanced CT at admission at one of the included centers. In addition to the extent of pulmonary involvement, we performed a phantomless assessment of bone mineral density of thoracic vertebra 9-12. RESULTS: In a univariate regression analysis BMD was found to be a significant predictor of the necessity for intensive care unit treatment of COVID-19 patients. In the subgroup requiring intensive care treatment within the follow-up period a significantly lower BMD was found. In a multivariate logistic regression model considering gender, age and CT measurements of bone mineral density, BMD was eliminated from the regression analysis as a significant predictor. CONCLUSION: Phantomless assessed BMD provides prognostic information on the necessity for ICU treatment in course of COVID-19 pneumonia. We recommend using the measurement of BMD in an initial CT image to facilitate a potentially better prediction of severe patient outcomes within the 22 days after an initial CT scan. Consequently, in the present sample, additional bone density analysis did not result in a prognostic advantage over simply considering age. Significantly larger patient cohorts with a more homogenous patient age should be performed in the future to illustrate potential effects. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While clinical capacities such as ICU beds and ventilators are more crucial than ever to help manage the current global corona pandemic, this work introduces an approach that can be used in a cost-effective way to help determine the amount of these rare clinical resources required in the near future.

Body composition on low dose chest CT is a significant predictor of poor clinical outcome in COVID-19 disease - A multicenter feasibility study.

PURPOSE: Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the chest is a recommended diagnostic tool in early stage of COVID-19 pneumonia. High age, several comorbidities as well as poor physical fitness can negatively influence the outcome within COVID-19 infection. We investigated whether the ratio of fat to muscle area, measured in initial LDCT, can predict severe progression of COVID-19 in the follow-up period. METHOD: We analyzed 58 individuals with confirmed COVID-19 infection that underwent an initial LDCT in one of two included centers due to COVID-19 infection. Using the ratio of waist circumference per paravertebral muscle circumference (FMR), the body composition was estimated. Patient outcomes were rated on an ordinal scale with higher numbers representing more severe progression or disease associated complications (hospitalization/ intensive care unit (ICU)/ tracheal intubation/ death) within a follow-up period of 22 days after initial LDCT. RESULTS: In the initial LDCT a significantly higher FMR was found in patients requiring intensive care treatment within the follow-up period. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, FMR (p < .001) in addition to age (p < .01), was found to be a significant predictor of the necessity for ICU treatment of COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSION: FMR as potential surrogate of body composition and obesity can be easily determined in initial LDCT of COVID-19 patients. Within the multivariate analysis, in addition to patient age, low muscle area in proportion to high fat area represents an additional prognostic information for the patient outcome and the need of an ICU treatment during the follow-up period within the next 22 days. This multicentric pilot study presents a method using an initial LDCT to screen opportunistically for obese patients who have an increased risk for the need of ICU treatment. While clinical capacities, such as ICU beds and ventilators, are more crucial than ever to help manage the current global corona pandemic, this work introduces an approach that can be used for a cost-effective way to help determine the amount of these rare clinical resources required in the near future.