RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide determining dramatic impacts on healthcare systems. Early identification of high-risk parameters is required in order to provide the best therapeutic approach. Coronary, thoracic aorta and aortic valve calcium can be measured from a non-gated chest computer tomography (CT) and are validated predictors of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, their prognostic role in acute systemic inflammatory diseases, such as COVID-19, has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the association of coronary artery calcium and total thoracic calcium on in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: 1093 consecutive patients from 16 Italian hospitals with a positive swab for COVID-19 and an admission chest CT for pneumonia severity assessment were included. At CT, coronary, aortic valve and thoracic aorta calcium were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated separately and combined together (total thoracic calcium) by a central Core-lab blinded to patients' outcomes. RESULTS: Non-survivors compared to survivors had higher coronary artery [Agatston (467.76 â± â570.92 vs 206.80 â± â424.13 âmm2, p â< â0.001); Volume (487.79 â± â565.34 vs 207.77 â± â406.81, p â< â0.001)], aortic valve [Volume (322.45 â± â390.90 vs 98.27 â± â250.74 mm2, p â< â0.001; Agatston 337.38 â± â414.97 vs 111.70 â± â282.15, p â< â0.001)] and thoracic aorta [Volume (3786.71 â± â4225.57 vs 1487.63 â± â2973.19 mm2, p â< â0.001); Agatston (4688.82 â± â5363.72 vs 1834.90 â± â3761.25, p â< â0.001)] calcium values. Coronary artery calcium (HR 1.308; 95% CI, 1.046-1.637, p â= â0.019) and total thoracic calcium (HR 1.975; 95% CI, 1.200-3.251, p â= â0.007) resulted to be independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Coronary, aortic valve and thoracic aortic calcium assessment on admission non-gated CT permits to stratify the COVID-19 patients in-hospital mortality risk.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19/mortalidad , COVID-19/fisiopatología , Angiografía por Tomografía Computarizada , Calcificación Vascular/mortalidad , Calcificación Vascular/fisiopatología , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Aorta Torácica/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades de la Aorta/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades de la Aorta/mortalidad , Enfermedades de la Aorta/fisiopatología , Válvula Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagen , COVID-19/diagnóstico por imagen , Vasos Coronarios/diagnóstico por imagen , Femenino , Humanos , Italia/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neumonía Viral/diagnóstico por imagen , Neumonía Viral/mortalidad , Neumonía Viral/fisiopatología , Neumonía Viral/virología , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Estudios Retrospectivos , SARS-CoV-2 , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Calcificación Vascular/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
COVID-19 has infected more than 2 million people in the world in less than 5 months outbreak. Chest imaging is recommended for triage of suspected cases of COVID-19 with moderate-severe clinical features and high pre-test probability of disease, and may help for patient follow-up and to identify patients at higher risk of disease worsening. This pictorial essay illustrates typical and uncommon imaging findings of COVID-19 pneumonia and the role of imaging for patient management.