Reduced exercise capacity, chronotropic incompetence, and early systemic inflammation in cardiopulmonary phenotype Long COVID.

BACKGROUND: Mechanisms underlying persistent cardiopulmonary symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 "PASC" or "Long COVID") remain unclear. This study sought to elucidate mechanisms of cardiopulmonary symptoms and reduced exercise capacity. METHODS: We conducted cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and ambulatory rhythm monitoring among adults > 1 year after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a post-COVID cohort, compared those with or without symptoms, and correlated findings with previously measured biomarkers. RESULTS: Sixty participants (median age 53, 42% female, 87% non-hospitalized) were studied at median 17.6 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection. On CPET, 18/37 (49%) with symptoms had reduced exercise capacity (<85% predicted) compared to 3/19 (16%) without symptoms (p = 0.02). Adjusted peak VO2 was 5.2 ml/kg/min lower (95%CI 2.1-8.3; p = 0.001) or 16.9% lower percent predicted (95%CI 4.3-29.6; p = 0.02) among those with symptoms. Chronotropic incompetence was common. Inflammatory markers and antibody levels early in PASC were negatively correlated with peak VO2 more than 1 year later. Late-gadolinium enhancement on CMR and arrhythmias were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary symptoms >1 year following COVID-19 were associated with reduced exercise capacity, which was associated with elevated inflammatory markers early in PASC. Chronotropic incompetence may explain exercise intolerance among some with cardiopulmonary Long COVID.

Myopericarditis Following the Third Dose of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination: A Case Report.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine-related cases of pericarditis and myocarditis have been reported infrequently. Most of the patients usually present within a week of the vaccine, and on average, most of the cases were reported after the second dose of vaccine within two to four days. Chest pain was the most common presentation, and fever and shortness of breath were the other commonly reported symptoms. The patients can have positive cardiac markers and electrocardiogram (EKG) changes, and the cases can be mistaken for cardiac emergencies. We present a 17-year-old male patient with sudden onset substernal chest pain for two days who got the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine within 24 hours prior. EKG was remarkable for diffuse ST elevations, and troponins were elevated. Later, the cardiac magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the findings of myopericarditis. The patient was treated with colchicine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), completely recovered, and is doing fine to date. This case hights that post-vaccine myocarditis can be mistaken and early diagnosis and management can prevent unnecessary interventions.

Multimodality imaging-based diagnosis of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis

Introduction: Transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a rare, progressive, life-threatening, hereditary disorder induced by a misfolded precursor protein, caused by mutations in the transthyretin gene. ATTR-CM is a challenging disease to recognize in early stages owing to its multisystem and nonspecific manifestations1-3. Case report: 65-year-old patient was hospitalized for the second time to our Clinic for Cardiovascular diseases in April 2022. Previous hospitalization happened 5 years ago and there was no ambulatory cardiology check-up between hospitalizations. He had progressive dyspnea on mild exertion and lower extremity edema. Therapy at home was furosemide occasionally. In past medical history he had left carpal tunnel surgery and Covid 19 infection in April 2022. On arrival blood pressure was 140/80 mmHg, pulse 100 beats per minute, absolutely arrhythmic. Basal weakened breath sounds, and leg edema were present. Troponin and NT pro BNP were elevated (91 ng/l and 3222 ng/l). 12-lead electrocardiogram showed peripheral micro-voltage, atrial fibrillation with ventricular rate around 110 bpm. Biatrial enlargement, increased left and right wall thickness, thickened papillary muscles, mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and mono-phasic transmittal flow was found on transthoracic echocardiography. Testing for Fabry disease was negative. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) found morphological changes and the pattern of contrast accumulation that suggested cardiac amyloidosis. Immunofixation electrophoresis showed no monoclonal (M) spike, gammopathy was unlikely. A biopsy of the buccal mucosa was performed, no amyloid deposits were found. Bone scintigraphy found accumulation of labelled hydroxydiphosphonate (HDP) that was visible in the myocardium, which points to ATTR-CM. Genetic testing is in progress. Conclusion: ATTR-CM requires a high index of suspicion, and it should be suspected in patients with LV hypertrophy and heart failure. The diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis requires a combination of multi- modality imaging including echocardiography, CMR and scintigraphy. An imaging modality that can accurately diagnose ATTR-CM without the need for invasive cardiac biopsy is nuclear scintigraphy using bone-avid radio-tracers4. Timely diagnosis is important since the treatment is possible and improves prognosis in these patients. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cardiologia Croatica is the property of Croatian Cardiac Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Right atrial thrombus in a patient after COVID-19 pneumonia

Background: Significant coagulopathy and hyperinflamation are found in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Case report: 44-year-old male patient was admitted to the Infective Clinic with a severe form of pneumonia COVID-19.The disease is complicated, with sub-segmental embolization of the lungs and pneumothorax, which are confirmed with laboratory and computed tomography (CT) lung with angiography. On the third day of hospitalization, an echocardiogram is performed, which shows global hypocontractility of the left ventricular walls with a reduced ejection fraction EF 45%. The right ventricle was borderline. After the applied therapy, the patient's condition improves and he is discharged home with anticoagulant therapy. An echocardiography (Figure 1) performed as part of a cardiology examination one months after discharge from the hospital diagnosed a mass in the right atrium (35x27mm), which could correspond to a thrombus. Calcifications were visualized in the mass. The patient is readmitted to the Cardiology Clinic and intravenous heparin is indicated. Perform transesophageal echocardiography (Figure 2) and confirm the presence of a mass consistent with thrombus. Cardiac CT (Figure 3) shows mass in right atrium extending into the inferior vena cava, and CT of the abdomen shows thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. Cardiac magnetic resonance (Figure 4) showed a mass in the right atrium, which, corresponds to a thrombus adherent to the interatrial septum. After application of contrast, focal zones of higher intensity are visualized, zones of fibrosis on interventricular septum, anterior l and inferior and lateral wall of subepicardial and intramyocardial localization, which correspond to the sequelae of the inflammatory process, with ejection fraction 45%. The right ventricle has normal dimensions. After unsuccessful therapy with unfractionated heparin, the thrombus was successfully surgically extracted. Conclusions: Cardiac imaging modalities, including transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, cardiac computed tomography, and 18Ffluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography have a complementary and reinforcing role for the evaluation of cardiac masses. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cardiologia Croatica is the property of Croatian Cardiac Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Cardiac magnetic resonance T2* mapping in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia is associated with serum ferritin level?

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19)-related myocardial injury is an increasingly recognized complication and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the most commonly used non-invasive imaging technique for myocardial involvement. This study aims to assess myocardial structure by T2*-mapping which is a non-invasive gold-standard imaging tool for the assessment of cardiac iron deposition in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without significant cardiac symptoms. Twenty-five patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and 20 healthy subjects were prospectively enrolled.Cardiac volume and function parameters, myocardial native-T1, and T2*-mapping were measured. The association of serum ferritin level and myocardial mapping was analyzed. There was no difference in terms of cardiac volume and function parameters. The T2*-mapping values were lower in patients with COVID-19 compared to controls (35.37 [IQR 31.67-41.20] ms vs. 43.98 [IQR 41.97-46.88] ms; p < 0.0001), while no significant difference was found in terms of native-T1 mapping value(p = 0.701). There was a positive correlation with T2*mapping and native-T1 mapping values (r = 0.522, p = 0.007) and negative correlation with serum ferritin values (r = - 0.653, p = 0.000), while no correlation between cardiac native-T1 mapping and serum ferritin level. Negative correlation between serum ferritin level and T2*-mapping values in COVID-19 patients may provide a non-contrast-enhanced alternative to assess tissue structural changes in patients with COVID-19. T2*-mapping may provide a non-contrast-enhanced alternative to assess tissue alterations in patients with COVID-19. Adding T2*-mapping cardiac MRI in patients with myocardial pathologies would improve the revealing of underlying mechanisms. Further in vivo and ex vivo animal or human studies designed with larger patient cohorts should be planned.

Magnetic resonance imaging-derived portrait of cardiac patients in one specialized cardiovascular center during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose. The objective of the study was to elucidate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR)-derived portrait of a patient in one specialized cardiovascular center. Material and Methods. The study comprised 987 patients who underwent CMR with paramagnetic contrast enhancement in cardiovascular center from 01.01.2019 to 01.06.2022. Data were obtained from electronic medical records stored in the electronic module keeping track of instrumental studies. Data contained information on type and characteristics of protocol, referring department, clinical and demographic patient characteristics, and diagnosis. Gender, age, type of visit (ambulatory, in-hospital), instrumental data, and unstructured text were analyzed. Contrast-enhanced CMR was performed according to standard method using 1.5-Tesla MRI system Vantage Titan 1.5T (Toshiba Medical Systems) with ECG-synchronization. Results. Proportion of CMR among all MRI studies increased during the study period. Maximum number of cardiac diseases was detected in 2021. Incidence of fibrosis-dystrophic myocardial changes increased from 67.17% in 2019 to 84.14% in 2022 potentially due to the past cardiac inflammation. Patient numbers in each age group peaked in 2021, and the highest incidence rate was observed in the group of 60-69-year-old patients with high risk for severe COVID-19 course and complications. In 2020, the incidence of acute myocarditis significantly decreased to 10% in men and 13% in women and then gradually increased in 2021. The rate of ambulatory visits significantly increased in 2020, but returned to the pre-pandemic level in 2021. Conclusion. COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for CMR. Patients with history of COVID-19 had persistent and newly occurring symptoms of myocardial damage suggesting chronic cardiac involvement. Regional myocardial fibrosis was the main COVID-19-associated presentation on contrast-enhanced CMR. Continuous follow-up of patients is required to assess their risk for the left ventricular remodeling. © 2022 Tomsk State University. All rights reserved.

Microvascular Coronary Artery Embolism Presenting as an OHCA STEMI Call Detected by CMRI.

We describe a case of coronary artery embolism leading to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in which the diagnosis was achieved with utilisation of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was otherwise well prior to this episode. Emergency diagnostic coronary angiography revealed patent arteries with TIMI 3 flow. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated myocardial infarction and focal microvascular obstruction in the infarcted territory. This report describes an uncommon case presentation, highlights areas for improvement in diagnostic criteria, and briefly discusses the currently available data regarding coronary artery embolism. LEARNING POINTS: Coronary artery embolism is uncommon but it is important to accurately diagnose it given the associated poor prognosis.Currently proposed scoring systems for the diagnosis of coronary artery embolism do not include the use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to identify intra-coronary emboli.Consideration should be given to including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of intra-coronary emboli as an alternative to angiography in scoring criteria used to diagnose coronary artery embolism.

Utility of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing eosinophilic myocarditis in a patient recently recovered from COVID-19: a grand round case report.

Background: Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) secondary to eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare disease, for which cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) is a useful non-invasive modality for diagnosis. We present a case of EM in a patient who recently recovered from COVID-19 and discuss the role of CMRI and endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) to differentiate between COVID-19-associated myocarditis and EM. Case summary: A 20-year-old Hispanic male with a history of sinusitis and asthma, and who recently recovered from COVID-19, presented to the emergency room with pleuritic chest pain, dyspnoea on exertion, and cough. His presentation labs were pertinent for leucocytosis, eosinophilia, elevated troponin, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. The electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia. Echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction of 40%. The patient was admitted, and on day 2 of admission, he underwent CMRI which showed findings of EM and mural thrombi. On hospital day 3, the patient underwent right heart catheterization and EMB which confirmed EM. The patient was treated with steroids and mepolizumab. He was discharged on hospital day 7 and continued outpatient heart failure treatment. Discussion: This is a unique case of EM and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction as a presentation of EGPA, in a patient who recently recovered from COVID-19. In this case, CMRI and EMB were critical to identify the cause of myocarditis and helped in the optimal management of this patient.

COVID-19 Associated Fulminant Myocarditis in a Fully-Vaccinated Female: A Case Report with Clinical Follow-up.

Background: Myocarditis is considered a serious adverse event after COVID-19 infection. The risk and severity of myocarditis after COVID-19 disease decreased significantly in the vaccinated population. We present a case of cardiac magnetic resonance proven fulminant myocarditis following COVID-19 disease in a young female who was previously vaccinated with 2 doses of the BIBP (Sinopharm) vaccine. Case summary: A 29-year-old female was referred to the hospital with acute chest pain, dyspnea, and nausea. Her electrocardiogram revealed ST-segment elevation in anterolateral leads with reciprocal changes in inferior leads. She was primarily diagnosed with ST-elevation myocardial infarction following spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) according to her age and gender. Her coronary angiography was normal. RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-COV-2 infection. According to her history and excluding coronary artery diseases, she was clinically diagnosed with myocarditis and received corticosteroids, IVIG, and colchicine. She was discharged in a favorable condition after 11 days of hospitalization. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the diagnosis of myocarditis according to the updated lake Louise criteria. On her 4-month follow-up, she was asymptomatic, and her echocardiography showed improvement in biventricular function. Discussion: The diagnosis of myocarditis caused by COVID-19 infection may be challenging as the symptoms of myocarditis, and COVID-19 disease may overlap. It should be considered when patients have acute chest pain, palpitation, elevated cardiac biomarkers, and new abnormalities in ECG or echocardiography. Cardiac MRI is a non-invasive gold standard modality for diagnosing and follow-up of myocarditis and should be used in clinically suspected myocarditis. The long-term course of myocarditis following COVID-19 disease is still unclear, but some evidence suggests it may have a favorable mid-term outcome.

Cardiac effects of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: One-year follow-up.

AIM: Cardiovascular involvement is common among children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) and can cause shock and death. In this study, we evaluated the early and long-term cardiac effects of MIS-C. METHODS: In this observational cohort study, we included all children treated for MIS-C from October 2020 to November 2021 in the Department of Paediatric Infectious Disease at Cukurova University School of Medicine Hospital. The patients underwent serial echocardiographical evaluation during hospitalisation and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge. The patients were evaluated using Holter monitorisation between 4 and 6 months and using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 6 months and thereafter. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients diagnosed with MIS-C and with a median age of 84 months were included. Cardiac involvement was found in 19 (73.1%) patients. At initial echocardiographic evaluation, the mean ejection fraction value of the patients was 56.7% (range: 30-75). Coronary artery dilatation was detected in two (7.7%) patients, and mitral regurgitation persisted in only one patient by month 3. Treatment was started in two (7.7%) patients due to ventricular arrhythmia. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 13 (50%) patients at a median of 6 months (range: 5-9). The cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings were consistent with possible interstitial fibrosis in two (7.7%) patients. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that cardiac involvement of patients improved rapidly with treatment, as indicated by previous studies. However, during the 1-year follow-up, frequent extraventricular systole was detected in two patients, one of whom initially did not show cardiac involvement. Moreover, possible interstitial fibrosis was detected in the cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation of two patients. In particular, we believe that these findings may be useful to evaluate critically ill paediatric patients and patients with severely low EF with cardiac MRI in their follow-up.

Myocarditis in children after COVID-19 vaccine.

Three healthy adolescents presented with myocarditis confirmed on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging after receiving Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. All patients were hemodynamically stable and had good short-term outcomes. Long-term outcomes are yet to be determined. Larger studies are needed to determine whether an association between Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis exists.

Cardiac Imaging in Myocarditis: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Myocarditis is defined as a non-ischemic inflammatory disease of the myocardium. It remains a challenge to diagnose given non-specific symptoms and lack of specific blood biomarkers. Cardiac imaging plays an important role in the evaluation of myocarditis with unique strengths and limitations of different imaging modalities, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. The purpose of this review is to discuss the strengths and limitations of various cardiac imaging techniques in the evaluation of myocarditis, review imaging findings in specific causes of myocarditis including COVID-19 and after vaccination, evaluate the role of imaging in differentiating myocarditis from potential mimics and differential considerations, identify current gaps in knowledge, and propose future directions.

Diffused Myocardial Inflammation in COVID-19 Associated Myocarditis Detected by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Post-COVID Patients

Objective: To determine the frequency of myocarditis in patients recovered from COVID-19 infection. Study Design: Analytical Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Department, Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology/ National Institute of Heart Disease (AFIC/NIHD), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jul 2020 till Apr 2022. Methodology: All patients who underwent Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging after recovery from COVID-19 were enrolled. Non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used for sample selection and was calculated on the basis of G-power. Data of patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria was selected. All PCR positive cases of COVID-19 who recovered from COVID-19 and completed their 12 days of isolation not exceeding 60 days of 1st Polymerase chain reaction positive, and who have any symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on 2D-echocardiogram were included in the study. Data was recorded, stored, and analyzed by using SPSS version-21. Quantitative data was reported as Mean±SD. Categorical variables were reported as frequency and percentage. To determine the association between different variables Chi square test was used. Results: A total 83 patients were included in this study who recovered from COVID-19 and underwent Cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Mean age of the patients was 39.17±12.9 years. 67(80.72%) were male while 16(19.28%) were females. 50(60%) had myocarditis after recovery from COVID-19. This study showed statistically significant association of all the Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging findings with Myocarditis (p<0.05) at 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Conclusion: Early detection of COVID-19 related myocarditis will help in better management of patient. In such patients, cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the modality of choice, since it allows for noninvasive assessment of myocardial edema and fibrosis, as well as therapeutic guidance and improved patient outcomes. © 2022, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.

Admission and follow-up cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings in BNT162b2 Vaccine-Related myocarditis in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the pattern and severity of myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19 vaccination associated myocarditis. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to define the myocardial damage occurring after BNT162b2 vaccination, raise awareness about adverse reactions developing after vaccination, and determine the patterns and scope of Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. PATIENTS/METHODS: A total of 9 patients diagnosed with vaccine-associated myopericarditis were followed up. RESULTS: The mean age of the patient at diagnosis was 15.3 ± 1.0 (range: 14-17) years, and all patients were male. Seven patients presented with myocarditis symptoms after their second vaccine dose, one patient presented with pericarditis symptoms after his first dose, and the other patient presented with myocarditis symptoms after his booster dose. The median time at presenting to the hospital was 3 (range: 2-22) days. Seven (77.7%) patients had abnormal electrocardiography (ECG) findings, and the most prevalent finding was diffuse ST-segment elevation. Initial cardiac MRI results were abnormal in all patients, where 8 (88.8%) patients had late gadolinium enhancement, and 5 (55.5%) had myocardial edoema. Three patients showed local left ventricular wall-motion abnormalities. In their follow-up MRIs 3-6 months later, myocardial edoema was present in 2 (28.5%) patients, while late gadolinium enhancement was present in all patients (7/7, 100%, 2 patients did not have control MRI time). Hypokinetic segments were still present in one of the 3 patients. No negative cardiac events were observed in the short-term follow-up of any patient. CONCLUSION: Further follow-up evaluation and larger multicenter studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of persistent cardiac MRI abnormalities.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Findings in Patients Recovered from COVID-19 Pneumonia and Presenting with Persistent Cardiac Symptoms: The TRICITY-CMR Trial.

The prevalence and clinical consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related non-ischemic cardiac injury are under investigation. The main purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of non-ischemic cardiac injury using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with persistent cardiac symptoms following recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study. Between January 2021 and May 2021, we enrolled 121 patients with a recent COVID-19 infection and persistent cardiac symptoms. Study participants were divided into those who required hospitalization during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 58; 47.9%) and those non-hospitalized (n = 63; 52.1%). Non-ischemic cardiac injury (defined as the presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) lesion and/or active myocarditis in CMR) was detected in over half of post-COVID-19 patients (n = 64; 52.9%). LGE lesions were present in 63 (52.1%) and active myocarditis in 10 (8.3%) post-COVID-19 study participants. The majority of LGE lesions were located in the left ventricle at inferior and inferolateral segments at the base. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of LGE lesions (35 (60.3%) vs. 28 (44.4%); p = 0.117) or active myocarditis (6 (10.3%) vs. 4 (6.3%); p = 0.517) between hospitalized and non-hospitalized post-COVID-19 patients. However, CMR imaging revealed lower right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF; 49.5 (44; 54) vs. 53 (50; 58) %; p = 0.001) and more frequent presence of reduced RVEF (60.3% vs. 33.3%; p = 0.005) in the former subgroup. In conclusion, more than half of our patients presenting with cardiac symptoms after a recent recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia had CMR imaging abnormalities indicating non-ischemic cardiac injury. The most common finding was LGE, while active myocarditis was detected in the minority of patients. CMR imaging abnormalities were observed both in previously hospitalized and non-hospitalized post-COVID-19 patients. Further research is needed to determine the long-term cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19 infection and the optimal management of patients with suspected post-COVID-19 non-ischemic cardiac injury.

Case Report: Transient Increase of CMR T1 Mapping Indices in a Patient With COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Induced Acute Myocarditis.

Background: Acute myocarditis is commonly associated with viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination has also been reported, however this is rare and usually resolves within days or weeks. We present a case of acute myocarditis reported after vaccination with mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna) diagnosed using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). This report describes the utility of CMR in the diagnosis and follow-up of such patients using parameters which could suggest the clinical course of myocarditis. Case Summary: A 23-year-old male presented in the emergency department with complaints of chest pain radiating to the left arm following vaccination with the second dose of COVID-19 mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna). Patient's history revealed an incidence of myocarditis in the past. CMR showed a mid-range left ventricular ejection fraction (38%) and subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the inferolateral and apical myocardial segments with diffuse elevation of native T1 mapping relaxation times in all myocardial segments. The patient was admitted briefly in the intensive care unit and after a favorable clinical course was discharged from the hospital in stable condition. A follow-up CMR after 3 months revealed normalization of LVEF (57%) and native T1- times in most segments. Scarred myocardium reflecting chronic myocarditis continued to show elevated T1 times. Conclusions: Our patient presenting with acute myocarditis after recent COVID-19 mRNA vaccination reported a favorable clinical course. CMR revealed increased T1 mapping relaxation times diffusely spread across the myocardium and an impairment of the left ventricular function (LVEF) during the acute phase. However, the LVEF as well as the T1 times normalized at follow-up in all segments except for myocardium affected by chronic myocarditis.

Accordion sign in COVID 19 related acute myocarditis, an old sign for a novel context? A cardiac magnetic resonance case series report study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic is related to a higher incidence of myocarditis; we present a case series of seven patients, admitted with COVID-19 related acute myocarditis, evaluated with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, showing an altered profile of the free wall of the right ventricle, no longer present after six months follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven patients have been evaluated for COVID-19 related acute myocarditis, all patients have been evaluated with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging both in the acute setting and after six months follow-up. RESULTS: In the acute phase, myocarditis was confirmed in keeping with the current diagnostic criteria. In five out of seven cases, the presence of a crinkling profile of the free wall of the right ventricle was observed; at six months follow up, remission in four out of the five cases and a significant reduction in the remaining case, of the previously described findings, was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Crinkling appearance in the profile of the free wall of the right ventricle, detectable with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, might represent a morphological feature present in the acute setting of COVID-19 related myocarditis; several underlying physiopathological mechanisms are conceivable. Further studies are needed to confirm this correlation, define the underlying mechanisms and the prognostic implication related to it. This is the first report in the literature that has considered such findings to the best of our knowledge.

Augmentation of literature review of COVID-19 radiology.

We suggest an augmentation of the excellent comprehensive review article titled "Comprehensive literature review on the radiographic findings, imaging modalities, and the role of radiology in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic" under the following categories: (1) "Inclusion of additional radiological features, related to pulmonary infarcts and to COVID-19 pneumonia"; (2) "Amplified discussion of cardiovascular COVID-19 manifestations and the role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in monitoring and prognosis"; (3) "Imaging findings related to fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, optical, thermal and other imaging modalities/devices, including 'intelligent edge' and other remote monitoring devices"; (4) "Artificial intelligence in COVID-19 imaging"; (5) "Additional annotations to the radiological images in the manuscript to illustrate the additional signs discussed"; and (6) "A minor correction to a passage on pulmonary destruction".

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis in the COVID-19 Era

Introduction In the COVID-19 pandemic, to minimize aerosol-generating procedures, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was utilized at our institution as an alternative to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for diagnosing infective endocarditis (IE). Methods This retrospective study evaluated the clinical utility of CMR for detecting IE among 14 patients growing typical microorganisms on blood cultures or meeting modified Duke criteria. Results 7 cases were treated for IE. In 2 cases, CMR results were notable for possible leaflet vegetations and were clinically meaningful in guiding antibiotic therapy, obtaining further imaging, and/or pursuing surgical intervention. In 2 cases, vegetations were missed on CMR but detected on TEE. In 3 cases, CMR was nondiagnostic, but patients were treated empirically. There was no difference in antibiotic duration or outcomes over 1 year. Conclusion CMR demonstrated mixed results in diagnosing valvular vegetations and guiding clinical decision making. Further prospective controlled trials of CMR vs TEE are warranted.