Hepatobiliary Ultrasound Findings and Outcomes in Severe Covid-19

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious multisystem disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Although abdominal manifestations have been observed in these patients, the relationship between hepatobiliary abnormalities and the progression of COVID-19 remains poorly defined.Imaging exams -such as Computed Tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -have revealed hepatic and bile duct changes in these patients.However, few studies have demonstrated these findings through Ultrasound (US).Objective: To determine if abdominal US can be used as a prognostic marker in severe COVID-19 patients. Methods:A prospective, observational study in three specialized COVID-19 hospitals in Brazil from July 2020 to February 2021.We evaluated a convenience sample of inpatients, in both the intensive care unit (ICU) and nursery.Hepatobiliary US was performed by three radiologists who were blinded to all other patient-associated laboratory and clinical data.Information on sociodemographic and clinical variables was obtained from physical and electronic medical records.Fisher's exact test or chi-square test was performed according to data characteristics for each categorical variable.