Key result
Lung ultrasound and echocardiography, particularly 2D strain imaging, are valuable tools for the standardized follow-up and prognostic assessment of patients with long COVID and post-COVID syndrome.
Why the study?
Do echocardiography and lung ultrasound provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with long COVID and post-COVID syndrome?
Do echocardiography and lung ultrasound provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with long COVID and post-COVID syndrome?
Echocardiography with strain imaging and lung ultrasound are valuable, radiation-free modalities for evaluating dyspnea, myocardial damage, and pulmonary fibrosis in post-COVID syndrome.
May support standardized follow-up in long COVID; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before routine use.
Lung ultrasound has the potential to enable standardized follow-up without radiation exposure and with lower associated costs in comparison to CT scans. It is a valuable tool to follow up on patients after a COVID-19 infection and evaluate if there is pulmonary fibrosis developing. Echocardiography, including strain imaging, is a proven tool to assess various causes of dyspnea and adds valuable information in the context of long COVID care. Including two-dimensional (2D) strain imaging, a better comprehension of myocardial damage in post-COVID syndrome can be made. Especially 2D strain imaging (left and the right ventricular strain) can provide information about prognosis.
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Altersberger et al. (2022) conducted a review in Long COVID and Post-COVID Syndrome. Echocardiography and Lung Ultrasound vs. CT scans was evaluated. Lung ultrasound and echocardiography, particularly 2D strain imaging, are valuable tools for the standardized follow-up and prognostic assessment of patients with long COVID and post-COVID syndrome.
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