Clinical Features, Laboratory, and Radiological Findings of Patients with Acute Inflammatory Myelopathy after COVID-19 Infection: A Narrative Review

6Citations
Citations of this article
45Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

The objective of this review was to analyze the existing data on acute inflammatory myelopathies associated with coronavirus disease 2019 infection, which were reported globally in 2020. PubMed, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and online publication databases were searched. Thirty-Three acute inflammatory myelopathy cases (among them, seven cases had associated brain lesions) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 infection were reported. Demyelinating change was seen in cervical and thoracic regions (27.3% each, separately). Simultaneous involvement of both regions, cervical and thoracic, was seen in 45.4% of the patients. Most acute inflammatory myelopathy disorders reported sensory motor and bowel bladder dysfunctions. On cerebrospinal fluid analysis, pleocytosis and increased protein were reported in 56.7% and 76.7% of the patients, respectively. Cerebrospinal fluid severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was positive in five patients. On T2-weighted imaging, longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis and short-segment demyelinating lesions were reported in 76% and 21%, respectively. Among the patients with longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, 61% reported "moderate to significant"improvement and 26% demonstrated "no improvement"in the motor function of lower limbs. Demyelinating changes in the entire spinal cord were observed in three patients. Most of the patients with acute inflammatory myelopathy (including brain lesions) were treated with methylprednisolone (81.8%) and plasma-exchange therapy (42.4%). An early treatment, especially with intravenous methylprednisolone with or without immunoglobulin and plasma-exchange therapy, helped improve motor recovery in the patients with acute inflammatory myelopathy associated with coronavirus disease 2019.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Barman, A., Sahoo, J., Viswanath, A., Roy, S. S., Swarnakar, R., & Bhattacharjee, S. (2021, October 1). Clinical Features, Laboratory, and Radiological Findings of Patients with Acute Inflammatory Myelopathy after COVID-19 Infection: A Narrative Review. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000001857

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free