The current reference standard to make a definitive diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is the reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction assay (rt-PCR). However, radiological imaging plays a crucial role in evaluating the course of COVID-19 and in choosing proper management of infected patients. Chest X-ray (CXR) is generally considered not to be sensitive for the detection of pulmonary abnormalities in the early stage of the disease. However, in the emergency setting CXR can be a useful diagnostic tool for monitoring the rapid progression of lung involvement in COVID-19, especially in patients admitted to intensive care units. The rapid course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the severity and progression of lung aberrations require a method of radiological evaluation to implement and manage the appropriate treatment for infected patients. Computed tomography (CT) imaging is considered to be the most effective method for the detection of lung abnormalities, especially in the early stage of the disease. Moreover, serial chest CT imaging with different time intervals is also effective in estimating the evolution of the disease from initial diagnosis to discharge from hospital. Despite having low specificity in distinguishing abnormalities in viral infections, the high sensitivity of CT makes this method ideal for assessing the severity of the disease in patients with confirmed COVID-19. In this review, we present and discuss currently available scales that can be used to assess the severity of lung involvement in COVID-19 patients in everyday work, both for CXR and CT imaging.

Several COVID-19 convalescents suffer from the post-acute COVID-syndrome (PACS)/long COVID, with symptoms that include fatigue, dyspnea, pulmonary fibrosis, cognitive dysfunctions or even stroke. Given the scale of the worldwide infections, the long-term recovery and the integrative health-care in the nearest future, it is critical to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms as well as possible predictors of the longitudinal post-COVID-19 responses in convalescent individuals. The immune system and T cell alterations are proposed as drivers of post-acute COVID syndrome. However, despite the number of studies on COVID-19, many of them addressed only the severe convalescents or the short-term responses. Here, we performed longitudinal studies of mild, moderate and severe COVID-19-convalescent patients, at two time points (3 and 6 months from the infection), to assess the dynamics of T cells immune landscape, integrated with patients-reported symptoms. We show that alterations among T cell subsets exhibit different, severity- and time-dependent dynamics, that in severe convalescents result in a polarization towards an exhausted/senescent state of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and perturbances in CD4+ Tregs. In particular, CD8+ T cells exhibit a high proportion of CD57+ terminal effector cells, together with significant decrease of naïve cell population, augmented granzyme B and IFN-γ production and unresolved inflammation 6 months after infection. Mild convalescents showed increased naïve, and decreased central memory and effector memory CD4+ Treg subsets. Patients from all severity groups can be predisposed to the long COVID symptoms, and fatigue and cognitive dysfunctions are not necessarily related to exhausted/senescent state and T cell dysfunctions, as well as unresolved inflammation that was found only in severe convalescents. In conclusion, the post-COVID-19 functional remodeling of T cells could be seen as a two-step process, leading to distinct convalescent immune states at 6 months after infection. Our data imply that attenuation of the functional polarization together with blocking granzyme B and IFN-γ in CD8+ cells might influence post-COVID alterations in severe convalescents. However, either the search for long COVID predictors or any treatment to prevent PACS and further complications is mandatory in all patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and not only in those suffering from severe COVID-19.

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SummaryBackgroundCerebral venous thrombosis is a relatively uncommon neurologic disorder that is potentially reversible with prompt diagnosis and appropriate medical care. The pathogenesis is multifactorial and the disease may occur at any age. CVT is often associated with nonspecific symptoms. Radiologists play a crucial role in patient care by providing early diagnosis through interpretation of imaging studies.Underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis can increase the risk of severe complications, including hemorrhagic stroke or death. The purpose of this study is to investigate radiological and clinical characteristics of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) based on material from 34 patients under care of our hospital.Material/MethodsA total of 34 patients were diagnosed with CVT from August 2009 until March 2015. A clinical and radiological database of patients with final diagnosis of CVT was analyzed.ResultsPatient group included 22 women and 12 men at a mean age of 48.7 years (ranging from 27 to 77 years). In the study group 8 patients (23.5%) suffered from hemorrhagic infarction, whereas 16 patients (47%) were diagnosed with venous infarction without hemorrhage. Thirty patients (88%) had transverse sinus thrombosis.ConclusionsAccording to our study, CVT was more prevalent in women. Transverse sinus was the most common location. Among all age groups, the highest prevalence was seen in the fifth decade (n=14). Contrast-enhanced CT and MR venography were the most sensitive imaging modalities.

Development on new fast MRI scanners resulted in rising number of prostate examinations. High-spatial resolution of MRI examinations performed on 3T scanners allows recognition of very fine anatomical structures previously not demarcated on performed scans. We present current status of MR imaging in the context of recognition of most important anatomical structures.