Cardiac Imaging on COVID-19 Pandemic Era: the Stand, The Lost, and Found

Abstract

Purpose of Review The present review will outline the main effects of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular pathologies, focusing on the role of modern non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques in this setting. Recent Findings Multimodality cardiac imaging seems particularly suited for the in-depth characterization of patients with COVID-19, allowing the assessment of the variegated impact of the disease on the different aspects of myocardial perfusion, structure, and function. Summary The infection of SARS-CoV-2, leading to the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), has represented a consistent challenge for the organization of the healthcare systems, associating to a significant increase of the fatality rate of different acute and chronic disease. Moreover, the reallocation of healthcare providers led to a significant reduction of the availability of tests and therapies, with the deferral of non-urgent tests and non-lifesaving procedures.

Cardiovascular testing recovery in Latin America one year into the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of data from an international longitudinal survey

“…However, unlike in RoW, where cardiac CT had largely recovered by April 2021, coronary CTA and CAC were still used 18 % and 33 % less frequently than in March 2019, compared to a 5 % increase and 0 % change in RoW (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01). This reflects lasting reductions even in imaging modalities that were generally considered to pose less of a contagion risk between patients and testing staff, [25] and that were not vulnerable to disruptions in radiopharmaceutical supply chains, [26] as with SPECT and PET.…”

Multimodality Cardiac Imaging in COVID-19 Infection

“…Moreover, CMR is also essential for differentiating between myocarditis and other possible cardiac manifestations of COVID-19, namely ischemic coronary disease and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Here, the presence and pattern of late gadolinium enhancement is essential, along with diffuse myocardial involvement such as edema and fibrosis [ 52 ].…”