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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Monitoring Changes in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells upon Viral Infection Using Impedance-Based Real-Time Cell Analysis
Published on: May 5, 2023
COVID-19 Infection Raising Suspicions of a Connection between Vascular Damage and Thrombus Formation
Yuya Kobayashi1, Ryo Furukawa1, Kazuki Kasuga1
1Department of Neurology, Ina Central Hospital, Japan.
Insights
This study reports a rare case of vascular damage and thrombus formation in a patient following coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection, highlighting potential endothelial effects.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurology
Background:
- Endothelial damage is a hypothesized mechanism for coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related cerebral infarction.
- No definitive cases linking COVID-19 to cerebral infarction via endothelial damage have been previously reported.
Observation:
- A 51-year-old woman presented with neck pain one week post-COVID-19 infection.
- Imaging revealed inflammation in the carotid and vertebral arteries.
- Ultrasonography identified potential thrombi within the affected arteries.
Findings:
- The patient exhibited vascular inflammation and thrombus formation after COVID-19.
- Cerebral infarction was not observed in this case.
- This case suggests potential for vascular complications beyond cerebral infarction.
Implications:
- This case underscores the potential for significant vascular damage in COVID-19 patients.
- It highlights the importance of monitoring for thromboembolic events in COVID-19 survivors.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms of COVID-19-induced vascular injury.
Abstract:
Although endothelial damage has been hypothesized to be associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related cerebral infarction based on the specificity of the viral cellular invasion pathway, no case has been reported to date. We herein report a 51-year-old Japanese woman who presented with neck pain one week after COVID-19 infection. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed inflammation of the carotid and vertebral arteries. Ultrasonography revealed multiple flap-like structures that were assumed to be thrombi. Although the patient had no cerebral infarction, this could be an important case of vascular damage and thrombus formation in a COVID-19 patient.
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