[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT in Short-Term Complications of COVID-19: Metabolic Markers of Persistent Inflammation and Impaired Respiratory Function

• Published in: Diagnostics (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 835
• Main Authors: Triviño-Ibáñez, Eva María, Jiménez-Rodríguez, Beatriz María, Rudolphi-Solero, Teodoro, García-Rivero, Encarnación Yolanda, Rodríguez-Fernández, Antonio, Llamas-Elvira, José Manuel, Gómez-Río, Manuel, Morales-García, Concepción
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-03-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: [18F]FDG-PET/CT; complications; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Hospitals; Infections; Inflammation; inflammatory; Laboratories; Lung diseases; Lungs; Lymphatic system; Metabolism; Nuclear medicine; Pneumonia; respiratory function test; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Software; Tomography; Germany; Spain; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; complications; [18F]FDG-PET/CT; inflammatory; respiratory function test
• ISSN: 2075-4418; 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12040835

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 [
F]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 [
F]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 [
F]FDG-PET/CT results were correlated with laboratory and respiratory parameters. Eleven [
F]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, [
F]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.