MRI Brain Findings in 126 Patients with COVID-19: Initial Observations from a Descriptive Literature Review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• COVID-19 has been associated with diverse neurological manifestations.
• Numerous case reports and series describe MR imaging findings in patients with COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compile and analyze brain MR imaging findings in patients with COVID-19 related illness.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of neurological complications detectable via brain MRI.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, internet search engines, and medical journals.
• Inclusion of articles published before May 30, 2020, detailing MR imaging brain findings in COVID-19 patients.
• Analysis of 22 articles encompassing 126 patients from 7 countries.

Main Results:

• Common MR imaging findings included acute and subacute infarcts.
• Other frequent observations were leukoencephalopathy, microhemorrhages, leptomeningeal enhancement, and cortical FLAIR abnormalities.
• Findings ranged from specific diagnoses to characteristic imaging features.

Conclusions:

• Acute and subacute infarcts are the most common brain MR imaging diagnoses in COVID-19.
• Leukoencephalopathy, microhemorrhages, and leptomeningeal enhancement are also significant findings.
• Brain MR imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosing and understanding neurological complications of COVID-19.