Ocular MRI Findings in Patients with Severe COVID-19: A Retrospective Multicenter Observational Study

Radiology. 2021 May;299(2):E226-E229. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2021204394. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect various organs. This case series reports nine patients (one of nine [11%] women and eight of nine [89%] men; mean age ± standard deviation, 56 years ± 13) with globe MRI abnormalities obtained from a multicenter cohort of 129 patients presenting with severe COVID-19 from March 4, 2020, to May 1, 2020. Nine of 129 (7%) patients had one or several nodules of the posterior pole that were hyperintense at fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging. All patients had nodules in the macular region, eight of nine (89%) had bilateral nodules, and two of nine (22%) had nodules outside the macular region. Screening of these patients might improve the management of potentially severe ophthalmologic manifestations of the virus. See also the editorial by Kirsch in this issue. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / complications*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Eye / diagnostic imaging
  • Eye Diseases / complications*
  • Eye Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2*