Detection and Classification of Myocardial Injury Using Hybrid CMR/FDG-PET Imaging in Long COVID Patients
Motivation: Long COVID is associated with a significant prevalence of myocardial injury, yet its detection and classification using advanced imaging remain underexplored. Goal(s): To assess the feasibility and diagnostic value of hybrid CMR/FDG-PET imaging in detecting and classifying myocardial injury in long COVID patients. Approach: We applied a multiparametric imaging protocol, using PSIR-LGE, MOLLI 5(3)3 T1, and T2-prepared sequences, alongside FDG-PET, to categorize myocardial involvement as chronic active, healed, or absent. Results: In 32 patients, hybrid CMR/FDG-PET classified 28% with chronic active injury, 53% with healed injury, and 19% with no injury, providing crucial insights for targeted management in long COVID. Impact: This study establishes hybrid CMR/FDG-PET as a valuable diagnostic tool for precise myocardial injury characterization in long COVID, enabling tailored treatment strategies. It opens avenues for investigating chronic myocardial inflammation's long-term effects, potentially transforming patient management and outcomes.
Authors
- Helmut Dittmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6840-5571)
- Konstantin Nikolaou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2668-7325)
- Christian la Fougère (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7519-0417)
- Simon Greulich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4844-5442)
- Patrick Krumm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1705-8439)
- Joachim Brendel
- Meinrad Gawaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1124-9592)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition
- Published
- 2025-09-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.58530/2025/4183
- Primary Topic
- Cardiac Imaging and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00