Lung Abnormalities Detected with Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI in Patients with Long COVID
- PMID: 35608443
- PMCID: PMC9134268
- DOI: 10.1148/radiol.220069
Lung Abnormalities Detected with Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI in Patients with Long COVID
Erratum in
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Erratum for: Lung Abnormalities Detected with Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI in Patients with Long COVID.Radiology. 2023 Oct;309(1):e239025. doi: 10.1148/radiol.239025. Radiology. 2023. PMID: 37906016 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Abstract
Background Post-COVID-19 condition encompasses symptoms following COVID-19 infection that linger at least 4 weeks after the end of active infection. Symptoms are wide ranging, but breathlessness is common. Purpose To determine if the previously described lung abnormalities seen on hyperpolarized (HP) pulmonary xenon 129 (129Xe) MRI scans in participants with post-COVID-19 condition who were hospitalized are also present in participants with post-COVID-19 condition who were not hospitalized. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, nonhospitalized participants with post-COVID-19 condition (NHLC) and posthospitalized participants with post-COVID-19 condition (PHC) were enrolled from June 2020 to August 2021. Participants underwent chest CT, HP 129Xe MRI, pulmonary function testing, and the 1-minute sit-to-stand test and completed breathlessness questionnaires. Control subjects underwent HP 129Xe MRI only. CT scans were analyzed for post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease severity using a previously published scoring system and full-scale airway network (FAN) modeling. Analysis used group and pairwise comparisons between participants and control subjects and correlations between participant clinical and imaging data. Results A total of 11 NHLC participants (four men, seven women; mean age, 44 years ± 11 [SD]; 95% CI: 37, 50) and 12 PHC participants (10 men, two women; mean age, 58 years ±10; 95% CI: 52, 64) were included, with a significant difference in age between groups (P = .05). Mean time from infection was 287 days ± 79 (95% CI: 240, 334) and 143 days ± 72 (95% CI: 105, 190) in NHLC and PHC participants, respectively. NHLC and PHC participants had normal or near normal CT scans (mean, 0.3/25 ± 0.6 [95% CI: 0, 0.63] and 7/25 ± 5 [95% CI: 4, 10], respectively). Gas transfer (Dlco) was different between NHLC and PHC participants (mean Dlco, 76% ± 8 [95% CI: 73, 83] vs 86% ± 8 [95% CI: 80, 91], respectively; P = .04), but there was no evidence of other differences in lung function. Mean red blood cell-to-tissue plasma ratio was different between volunteers (mean, 0.45 ± 0.07; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.47]) and PHC participants (mean, 0.31 ± 0.10; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.37; P = .02) and between volunteers and NHLC participants (mean, 0.37 ± 0.10; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.44; P = .03) but not between NHLC and PHC participants (P = .26). FAN results did not correlate with Dlco) or HP 129Xe MRI results. Conclusion Nonhospitalized participants with post-COVID-19 condition (NHLC) and posthospitalized participants with post-COVID-19 condition (PHC) showed hyperpolarized pulmonary xenon 129 MRI and red blood cell-to-tissue plasma abnormalities, with NHLC participants demonstrating lower gas transfer than PHC participants despite having normal CT findings. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Parraga and Matheson in this issue.
Conflict of interest statement
Figures
Comment in
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Step on the 129Xe Gas: The MRI Race to Uncover Drivers of Post-COVID-19 Symptoms.Radiology. 2022 Dec;305(3):718-720. doi: 10.1148/radiol.221098. Epub 2022 May 24. Radiology. 2022. PMID: 35608450 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
References
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- World Health Organization . A clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus, 6 October 2021 . https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Post_COVID-19_cond.... Accessed September 12, 2021 .
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