%0 Journal Article
%A Triviño-Ibañez, Eva Maria
%A Jimenez-Rodriguez, Beatriz Maria
%A Rudolphi-Solero, Teodoro
%A Garcia-Rivero, Encarnación Yolanda
%A Rodriguez-Fernandez, Antonio
%A Llamas-Elvira, Jose Manuel
%A Gomez-Rio, Manuel
%A Morales-Garcia, Concepcion
%T [18F]FDG PET/CT in Short-Term Complications of COVID-19: Metabolic Markers of Persistent Inflammation and Impaired Respiratory Function.
%D 2022
%@ 2075-4418
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10668/20960
%X SARS-CoV-2 virus infects organs other than the lung, such as mediastinal lymph nodes, spleen, and liver, but, to date, metabolic imaging studies obtained in short-term follow-ups of patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection are rare. Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness of [18F]FDG-PET/CT in the short-term follow-up of patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia and to explore the association of the findings with clinical prognostic markers. The prospective study included 20 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (November 2020-March 2021). Clinical and laboratory test findings were gathered at admission, 48-72 h post-admission, and 2-3 months post-discharge, when [18F]FDG-PET/CT and respiratory function tests were performed. Lung volumes, spirometry, lung diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and respiratory muscle strength were measured. Volumetric [18F]FDG-PET/CT results were correlated with laboratory and respiratory parameters. Eleven [18F]FDG-PET/CT (55%) were positive, with hypermetabolic mediastinal lymphadenopathy in 90.9%. Mediastinal lesion's SUVpeak was correlated with white cells' count. Eleven (55%) patients had impaired respiratory function, including reduced DLCO (35%). SUVpeak was correlated with %predicted-DLCO. TLG was negatively correlated with %predicted-DLCO and TLC. In the short-term follow-up of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia, [18F]FDG-PET/CT findings revealed significant detectable inflammation in lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes that correlated with pulmonary function impairment in more than half of the patients.
%K COVID-19
%K SARS-CoV-2
%K [18F]FDG-PET/CT
%K complications
%K inflammatory
%K respiratory function test
%~