Heart and Lung Multimodality Imaging in COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Radiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant global health threat.
• COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system but also impacts the cardiovascular system.
• Cardiovascular disease history is common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with myocardial injury occurring in up to 12%.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize imaging-based pathophysiological mechanisms of lung and cardiac involvement in COVID-19.
• To provide a guide for integrated imaging assessment in COVID-19 patients with cardiac involvement.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on COVID-19 pathophysiology and cardiovascular manifestations.
• Focus on multimodality imaging techniques for heart and lung assessment.
• Synthesis of imaging findings related to myocardial injury and other cardiac complications.

Main Results:

• Multiple pathways, including inflammation and oxygen imbalance, contribute to cardiac injury in COVID-19.
• Cardiac involvement ranges from subclinical injury to conditions like myocarditis, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.
• Lack of imaging data hinders understanding of the incidence and prognosis of cardiac complications.

Conclusions:

• Integrated heart and lung multimodality imaging is essential for diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of COVID-19 patients.
• Imaging plays a central role in understanding the spectrum and implications of cardiac involvement in COVID-19.
• This review guides the use of imaging for comprehensive patient assessment.