Brain MRI Findings in Severe COVID-19: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Fiche publication


Date publication

juin 2020

Journal

Radiology

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr MEYER Nicolas, Pr OHANA Mickaël, Pr DE SEZE Jérôme


Tous les auteurs :
Kremer S, Lersy F, de Sèze J, Ferré JC, Maamar A, Carsin-Nicol B, Collange O, Bonneville F, Adam G, Martin-Blondel G, Rafiq M, Geeraerts T, Delamarre L, Grand S, Krainik A, Caillard S, Marc Constans J, Metanbou S, Heintz A, Helms J, Schenck M, Lefèbvre N, Boutet C, Fabre X, Forestier G, de Beaurepaire I, Bornet G, Lacalm A, Oesterlé H, Bolognini F, Messie J, Hmeydia G, Benzakoun J, Oppenheim C, Bapst B, Megdiche I, Henri-Feugeas MC, Khalil A, Gaudemer A, Jager L, Nesser P, Talla Mba Y, Hemmert C, Feuerstein P, Sebag N, Carré S, Alleg M, Lecocq C, Schmitt E, Anxionnat R, Zhu F, Comby PO, Ricolfi F, Thouant P, Desal H, Boulouis G, Berge J, Kazémi A, Pyatigorskaya N, Lecler A, Saleme S, Edjlali-Goujon M, Kerleroux B, Zorn PE, Mathieu M, Baloglu S, Ardellier FD, Willaume T, Brisset JC, Boulay C, Mutschler V, Hansmann Y, Mertes PM, Schneider F, Fafi-Kremer S, Ohana M, Meziani F, David JS, Meyer N, Anheim M, Cotton PF

Résumé

Background Brain MRI parenchymal signal abnormalities have been in association with SARS-CoV-2. Purpose Describe the neuroimaging findings (excluding ischemic infarcts) in patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients evaluated from March 23th, 2020 to April 27th, 2020 at 16 hospitals. Inclusion criteria were: (i) positive nasopharyngeal or lower respiratory tract reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays; (ii) severe COVID infection defined as requirement for hospitalization and oxygen therapy; (iii) neurologic manifestations; (iv) abnormal brain MRI. Exclusion criteria were patients with missing or non-contributory data regarding brain MRI or a brain MRI showing ischemic infarcts, cerebral venous thrombosis, or chronic lesions unrelated to the current event. Categorical data were compared using Fisher exact test. Quantitative data were compared using Student's t-test or Wilcoxon test. A p-value lower than 0.05 was considered significant. Results Thirty men (81%) and 7 women (19%) met inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 61+/- 12 years (range: 8-78). The most common neurologic manifestations were alteration of consciousness (27/37, 73%), pathological wakefulness when the sedation was stopped (15/37, 41%), confusion (12/37, 32%), and agitation (7/37, 19%). The most frequent MRI findings were: signal abnormalities located in the medial temporal lobe in 16/37 (43%, 95% CI 27-59%) patients, non-confluent multifocal white matter hyperintense lesions on FLAIR and diffusion sequences, with variable enhancement, with associated hemorrhagic lesions in 11/37 patients (30%, 95% CI 15-45%), and extensive and isolated white matter microhemorrhages in 9/37 patients (24%, 95% CI 10-38%). A majority of patients (20/37, 54%) had intracerebral hemorrhagic lesions with a more severe clinical presentation: higher admission rate in intensive care units, 20/20 patients, 100% versus 12/17 patients, 71%, p=0.01; development of the acute respiratory distress syndrome in 20/20 patients, 100% versus 11/17 patients, 65%, p=0.005. Only one patient was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the cerebrospinal fluid. Conclusion Patients with severe COVID-19 and without ischemic infarcts had a wide range of neurologic manifestations that were be associated with abnormal brain MRIs. Eight distinctive neuroradiological patterns were described.

Référence

Radiology. 2020 Jun 16;:202222