Multiparametric Cardiovascular MRI Assessment of Post-COVID Syndrome in Children in Comparison to Matched Healthy Individuals.

Background: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) can adversely affect the quality of life of patients and their families. In particular, the degree of cardiac impairment in children with PCS is unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify potential cardiac inflammatory sequelae in children with PCS compared with healthy controls.

Methods: This single-center, prospective, intraindividual, observational study assesses cardiac function, global and segment-based strains, and tissue characterization in 29 age- and sex-matched children with PCS and healthy children using a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Results: Cardiac MRI was carried out over 36.4 ± 24.9 weeks post-COVID infection. The study cohort has an average age of 14.0 ± 2.8 years, for which the majority of individuals experience from fatigue, concentration disorders, dyspnea, dizziness, and muscle ache. Children with PSC in contrast to the control group exhibited elevated heart rate (83.7 ± 18.1 beats per minute vs 75.2 ± 11.2 beats per minute, P = 0.019), increased indexed right ventricular end-diastolic volume (95.2 ± 19.2 mlm -2 vs 82.0 ± 21.5 mlm -2 , P = 0.018) and end-systolic volume (40.3 ± 7.9 mlm -2 vs 34.8 ± 6.2 mlm -2 , P = 0.005), and elevated basal and midventricular T1 and T2 relaxation times ( P < 0.001 to P = 0.013). Based on the updated Lake Louise Criteria, myocardial inflammation is present in 20 (69%) children with PCS. No statistically significant difference was observed for global strains.

Conclusions: Cardiac MRI revealed altered right ventricular volumetrics and elevated T1 and T2 mapping values in children with PCS, suggestive for a diffuse myocardial inflammation, which may be useful for the diagnostic workup of PCS in children.