PREFUL MRI Reveals Distinct Lung Phenotype in Children With Long COVID

THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Free-breathing phase-resolved functional lung (PREFUL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived parameters can identify a distinct lung phenotype in children and adolescents with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), according to a study published online Feb. 25 in Radiology.

Gesa H. Pöhler, M.D., from Hannover Medical School in Germany, and colleagues conducted a single-center, prospective, cross-sectional study between April 2022 and April 2023 involving children and adolescents aged 17 years and younger with PCC and matched healthy participants to detect lung changes using PREFUL MRI.

The analysis included 54 participants: 27 with PCC and 27 matched controls; 21 had cardiopulmonary symptoms. The researchers found that participants with PCC had lower regional ventilation and quantified perfusion. Compared with matched control participants, participants with PCC and cardiopulmonary symptoms had lower flow-volume loop correlation metrics and higher ventilation defect and perfusion defect percentage. Greater lung perfusion correlated with increased chronic fatigue severity and higher ventilation-perfusion mismatch correlated with increased heart rate in participants with PCC.

“Phase-resolved functional lung MRI reveals a distinct perfusion phenotype in children and adolescents with PCC, correlating with heart rate and chronic fatigue severity,” the authors write. “These findings enhance our understanding of PCC pathophysiologic structure and establish a foundation for future research.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

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