Neuroimaging Findings in Patients with COVID-19

P Nicholson; L Alshafai; T Krings

doi:10.3174/ajnr.A6630

Neuroimaging Findings in Patients with COVID-19

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2020 Aug;41(8):1380-1383. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A6630. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Authors

P Nicholson¹, L Alshafai², T Krings³

Affiliations

¹ From the Division of Neuroradiology (P.N., T.K.), Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada patrick.nicholson@uhn.ca.
² Head and Neck Imaging (L.A.), Mount Sinai and University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ From the Division of Neuroradiology (P.N., T.K.), Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Little is known about the neurologic sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed neuroimaging findings in 4 patients positive for COVID-19. All had abnormal mental status, deranged coagulation parameters, and markedly elevated D-dimer levels. CT/MR imaging showed a common pattern of multifocal subcortical/cortical petechial-type hemorrhages, while SWI showed more extensive multifocal abnormalities. The appearances are consistent with a thrombotic microangiopathy and may be due to the heightened level of thrombosis in patients with COVID-19.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Betacoronavirus*
Brain Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
Brain Diseases / etiology
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / complications*
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Multimodal Imaging
Neuroimaging
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / complications*
SARS-CoV-2
Tomography, X-Ray Computed