Yiken Karelys Ng-Wong

Purpose: Neuroradiological findings associated with neurological presentations in acute SARS-CoV-2 infection are very heterogeneous. We aimed to develop a standardized framework for describing MR neuroimaging patterns in Covid-19, to test this in an international multicentre study and to determine the prevalence of observed MRI patterns and their association with clinical presentation and outcome. Methods: An international expert consortium developed a framework for assessment of brain MRI patterns in Covid-19 based on published literature and professional experience. We performed a retrospective analysis of the proposed framework, involving brain MRI scans from 458 Covid-19 patients with neurological symptoms, including data from 1 February to 31 May 2020. Two readers at 25 centres across five countries assessed the local MRI studies regarding the presence of one or more predefined MRI patterns. Imaging and clinical data were analysed using Bayesian statistics. Results: Of 458 patients, 58.5% had an abnormal MRI. Overall, 94% of all imaging pathologies seen were captured by our proposed classification. Ischemic strokes were the most frequent pattern overall (25.6%), followed by microhaemorrhages (15.9%). Ischemic infarct patterns were more frequent in non-ICU patients, while the haemorrhagic patterns were more frequent in ICU patients. White matter lesions (10.9%) were more frequent than grey matter lesions (8.1%), and leptomeningeal contrast enhancement was present in 8.3% of patients. Patient outcome was not associated with any MRI patterns. Conclusion: Our proposed classification of specific MRI patterns in Covid-19, covered 94% of observed abnormalities, while patient outcome, death or home discharge, was not associated with any MRI patterns.

Background and purpose Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of health loss and disability worldwide. Accurate and timely diagnosis of TBI is critical for appropriate treatment and management of the condition. Neuroimaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and characterization of TBI. Computed tomography (CT) is the first-line diagnostic imaging modality typically utilized in patients with suspected acute mild, moderate and severe TBI. Radiology reports play a crucial role in the diagnostic process, providing critical information about the location and extent of brain injury, as well as factors that could prevent secondary injury. However, the complexity and variability of radiology reports can make it challenging for healthcare providers to extract the necessary information for diagnosis and treatment planning. Methods/results/conclusion In this article, we report the efforts of an international group of TBI imaging experts to develop a clinical radiology report template for CT scans obtained in patients suspected of TBI and consisting of fourteen different subdivisions (CT technique, mechanism of injury or clinical history, presence of scalp injuries, fractures, potential vascular injuries, potential injuries involving the extra-axial spaces, brain parenchymal injuries, potential injuries involving the cerebrospinal fluid spaces and the ventricular system, mass effect, secondary injuries, prior or coexisting pathology).

Background: Pituitary apoplexy (PA) can be symptomatic, namely acute apoplexy (APA), or asymptomatic or subclinical (SPA). Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and evolution of the patients with APA compared to SPA Patients and methods: Retrospective, longitudinal database analysis. Results: We identified 58 patients with PA, and 37 accomplished the inclusion criteria (17 men, median age 47.7 years). A total of 29 (78.4%) had APA (17 underwent surgery, and 12 were conservatively managed), and 8 (21.6%) had SPA. The presence of non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) odds ratio (OR): 29.36 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.86–462.36) and the largest size OR 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01–1.2) elevated the risk of having surgery. Hypopituitarism developed in 35.1% without significant differences between APA and SPA. In non-surgical patients, adenoma volume shrunk spontaneously at one year magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), without statistical differences between the conservatively treated and SPA group. Conclusions: APA is more frequent in larger NFPAs, and this subset of patients has a higher risk of surgery. Hypopituitarism is quite frequent even in patients with SPA, and, therefore, long-term follow-up is mandatory. In the non-surgical group, the pituitary tumour shrinkage is clinically relevant after one year of PA. Consequently, surgery indication in NFPA should be delayed and reassessed if patients remain asymptomatic.