In this study recently published in Radiology, the authors describe brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients in the intensive care unit with COVID-19 pneumonia. 27 patients with COVID-19 infection who required intensive care admission during hospitalisation underwent brain MRI. In 10/27 (37%) patients, cortical FLAIR signal abnormalities were present. Accompanying subcortical and deep white matter signal abnormality on FLAIR images were each present in 3 patients. Abnormalities involved the frontal lobe in 4, parietal lobe in 3, occipital lobe in 4, temporal lobe in 1, insular cortex in 3 and cingulate gyrus in 3 patients. Other acute intracranial findings occurred in the absence of cortical signal abnormality and included 1 patient with acute transverse sinus thrombosis and 1 patient with acute infarction in right middle cerebral artery territory. In 15/27 cases (56%), MRI did not reveal any COVID-19 related or other acute intracranial findings.
https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201697
by Marialuisa Zedde and Francesco Cavallieri