Fulminant cerebral edema as a lethal manifestation of COVID-19

Antoon J M van den Enden; Lennart van Gils; Joost A M Labout; Mathieu van der Jagt; Walid Moudrous

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2020.06.053

Fulminant cerebral edema as a lethal manifestation of COVID-19

Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Jul 3;15(9):1705-1708. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.06.053. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Authors

Antoon J M van den Enden¹, Lennart van Gils², Joost A M Labout¹, Mathieu van der Jagt³, Walid Moudrous⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Maasstad Hospital, P. Box 9100, 3007 AC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Maasstad Hospital, P. Box 9100, 3007 AC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
³ Department of Intensive Care Adults, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center Hospital, P. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Maasstad Hospital, P. Box 9100, 3007 AC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Abstract

The contribution of neurological symptomatology to morbidity and mortality after infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus (SARS CoV II) is ill-defined. We hereby present a case of a 57-year old male patient, in excellent physical condition, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with respiratory distress duo to SARS CoV II-induced bilateral pneumonia. After 2 weeks at the ICU, with respiratory conditions improving, the patient developed lethal cerebral edema. This case advocates regular wake-up calls in Coronavirus disease 2019 patients for neurological (radiological) evaluation to provide rapid diagnosis and a therapeutic window for fulminant central nervous system complications.

Keywords: Imaging; Neurological complication; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus.

Publication types

Case Reports