Whole body fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose parametric PET/computed tomography in people with long coronavirus disease: the ERASE-LC trial protocol

The ERASE-LC feasibility trial will evaluate the feasibility of using remdesivir for the treatment of long coronavirus disease (COVID) with a wide range of outcome measures. This paper focuses on the nested parametric PET/computed tomography study and outlines the novel protocol utilized. The PET/computed tomography scans will be performed at one of the sites in 20 participants with an overall recruitment target of 72 participants across both centers. The PET/computed tomography scans will be performed at day 11 for the baseline scan and day 55 for the follow-up scan, with an estimated effective radiation dose of approximately 22 mSv under typical study conditions and a maximum anticipated exposure of 31.2 mSv. Dynamic scans will be acquired using the FlowMotion acquisition on a Siemens Biograph Vision 600 scanner with an acquisition time of 75-90 min depending on the height of the participant. Patient and public involvement and engagement was undertaken throughout the study design. The early experiences of performing this protocol demonstrated that participants were able to tolerate the scan duration and positioning. In conclusion, this protocol demonstrates a novel use of parametric PET/computed tomography fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose whole body scans for the assessment of long COVID and response to remdesivir.