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Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Recurrent Chest Pain After COVID-19: Diagnostic Utility of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Manavotam Singh1, Neil Mehta1,2, Fatima Hayat3
1MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA.
Insights
Myocarditis following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can mimic heart attacks, presenting with chest pain and ST-segment elevation weeks after recovery. Cardiac MRI is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring this COVID-19 complication.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with various cardiac complications.
- Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, is a recognized but often underdiagnosed sequela of COVID-19.
Observation:
- A case of adult myocarditis following COVID-19 infection is presented.
- The patient exhibited recurrent ST-segment elevation mimicking coronary vasospasm.
- Symptoms, including chest pain, appeared several weeks after initial COVID-19 recovery.
Findings:
- COVID-19-related myocarditis can present with acute cardiac manifestations.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) revealed findings consistent with myocarditis.
- Late gadolinium enhancement and high T2 signal on CMR are diagnostic indicators.
Implications:
- This case underscores the diverse clinical presentations of COVID-19 myocarditis.
- CMR is essential for diagnosing myocarditis in patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries.
- Serial CMR can aid in evaluating the resolution of COVID-19-induced myocarditis.
Abstract:
We report a case of myocarditis in an adult patient with recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection presenting as recurrent ST-segment elevation, mimicking coronary vasospasm. This case highlights the wide range of presentations of COVID-19-related myocarditis. The novel teaching point is that COVID-19 myocarditis can present with acute manifestations such as chest pain and transient ST-segment elevation even several weeks after complete recovery from the initial infection. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging should be considered in patients with chest pain syndromes and angiographically normal coronary arteries, as the presence of late gadolinium enhancement and a high T2 signal can be diagnostic. Follow-up cardiac magnetic resonance imaging may be used to assess resolution.
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