Elsevier

Clinical Imaging

Volume 81, January 2022, Pages 107-113
Clinical Imaging

Neuroradiology
Brain MRI findings in COVID-19 patients with PRES: A systematic review

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2021.10.003Get rights and content

Highlights

  • PRES is a potential neurological complication of COVID-19 disease.

  • Compared to non-COVID-19 PRES patients, COVID-19 patients with PRES may exhibit similar to mildly greater rates of superimposed hemorrhage.

  • Compared to non-COVID-19 PRES patients, COVID-19 patients with PRES exhibit comparable rates of restricted diffusion.

Abstract

Background

Numerous case reports and case series have described brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with concurrent posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).

Purpose

We aim to compile and analyze brain MRI findings in patients with COVID-19 disease and PRES.

Methods

PubMed and Embase were searched on April 5th, 2021 using the terms “COVID-19”, “PRES”, “SARS-CoV-2” for peer-reviewed publications describing brain MRI findings in patients 21 years of age or older with evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and PRES.

Results

Twenty manuscripts were included in the analysis, which included descriptions of 30 patients. The average age was 57 years old. Twenty-four patients (80%) required mechanical ventilation. On brain MRI examinations, 15 (50%) and 7 (23%) of patients exhibited superimposed foci of hemorrhage and restricted diffusion respectively.

Conclusions

PRES is a potential neurological complication of COVID-19 related disease. COVID-19 patients with PRES may exhibit similar to mildly greater rates of superimposed hemorrhage compared to non-COVID-19 PRES patients.

Abbreviations

COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019
SARS-CoV-2
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
PRES
posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
PRISMA
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
MRI
magnetic resonance imaging
SWI
susceptibility-weighted imaging

Keywords

COVID-19
PRES
MRI brain

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