Imaging spectrum of acute invasive sinonasal mucormycosis in patients with COVID-19: A pictorial review

Abstract

The advent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) during the latter half of 2019 brought a new face to the global medical scenario. With a rising trend in COVID infectivity and the concomitant use of steroids in its management, it emerged as a risk factor for the development of acute invasive fungal infections of the paranasal sinus in these patients. In India, the medical scenario turned towards a rise in the number of fulminant mucormycosis infections in post-COVID patients. This infection caused rapid invasion via the perineural pathway and extensive angioinvasion, which led to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis of this infection became crucial to ward off any preventable complications. This pictorial review focuses on the varied early and late imaging appearances on Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), keeping the focus on MR imaging to make the diagnosis, to know the extent of the infective process, diagnose early complications and for surgical planning.