ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect various organs. This case series reports nine patients (one of nine [11%] women and eight of nine [89%] men; mean age ± standard deviation, 56 years ± 13) with globe MRI abnormalities obtained from a multicenter cohort of 129 patients presenting with severe COVID-19 from March 4, 2020, to May 1, 2020. Nine of 129 (7%) patients had one or several nodules of the posterior pole that were hyperintense at fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging. All patients had nodules in the macular region, eight of nine (89%) had bilateral nodules, and two of nine (22%) had nodules outside the macular region. Screening of these patients might improve the management of potentially severe ophthalmologic manifestations of the virus. See also the editorial by Kirsch in this issue. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Eye Diseases/complications , Eye Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , SARS-CoV-2 , Cohort Studies , Eye/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 is a multisystemic disease. Ophthalmological abnormalities are relatively rare among COVID-19-infected patients. The aim of our study was to report orbital and visual pathways MRI findings in a nationwide multicenter cohort of patients with severe COVID-19. METHODS: This IRB-approved retrospective multi-center study included participants presenting with severe COVID-19, who underwent brain MRI from March 4th to May 1st 2020. Two neuroradiologists ("blinded"), blinded to all data, individually analyzed morphological MRIs focusing on the orbits and the visual pathways. A second consensus reading session was performed in the case of disagreement between both readers. Clinical and ophthalmological data were compared to MRI findings. Descriptive statistical analysis and interobserver agreement for MRI reading using non-weighted Cohen kappa statistics were performed. RESULTS: 129 participants (43 [33%] women and 86 [67%] men, mean age 63 ± 14 years) were included in the study. 17/129 (13%) patients had abnormal MRI findings of the orbit or visual pathways. 11/17 (65%) patients had a FLAIR-WI hyperintense optic disc. 6/17 (35%) patients had abnormal signal of at least one of the visual pathway structures: 6/6 (100%) of the optic nerve, 1/6 (17%) of the optic chiasm, 2/6 (33%) of the optic tract and 1/6 (17%) of the optic radiations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that a substantial number of patients with severe COVID-19 presented with abnormal MRI findings of the orbit or visual pathways, which might lead to potentially severe visual impairment.