Acute mesenteric ischemia and small bowel imaging findings in COVID-19: A comprehensive review of the literature

Comparison between abdominal CT findings in intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients with Covid-19: experience from a tertiary care hospital

Background

16-66% of COVID-19 positive patients may have abdominal symptoms and findings in abdominal CT. The yield of abdominal CT scan in patients having abdominal complaints is not known.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to explore the various abdominal imaging manifestations of COVID-19 and COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis (CAM) and to identify the relevant clinical and laboratory features associated with severity of the symptoms.

Methods

A retrospective single centre observational study was performed at a tertiary care hospital in Northwest India. All consecutive patients who had COVID positive RT-PCR report and had undergone abdominal Computed Tomography scan from March 2020 to November 2021 for various abdominal complaints were included. Demographic data, CT images and reports and all relevant lab parameters were collected.

Results

Out of 75 patients, positive abdominal findings were seen in 65 patients. Hepatobiliary findings were seen in 41.3% (31 of 75; OR=1.9) and bowel abnormalities were found in 37.3% (28 of 75; OR=2.1) of COVID-19 patients. 7 patients who had renal infarcts or bowel ischemia were found to have COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis on histopathology.

Conclusion

Chest CT severity score was positively correlated with most of the abdominal manifestations in patients requiring ICU admission. Elevated D-dimer levels were significantly associated with abdominal symptoms.

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction syndrome in patients with severe COVID-19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

BACKGROUND

Several gastrointestinal complications have been reported in patients with COVID-19, including motility disorders, such as acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO). This affection is characterized by colonic distention in the absence of mechanical obstruction. ACPO in the context of severe COVID-19 may be related to neurotropism and direct damage of SARS-CoV-2 in enterocytes.

METHOD

We conducted a retrospective study of patients who were hospitalized for critical COVID-19 and developed ACPO between March 2020 and September 2021. The diagnostic criteria to define ACPO was the presence of 2 or more of the following: abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and changes in the bowel movements, associated with distension of the colon in computed tomography. Data of sex, age, past medical history, treatment, and outcomes were collected.

RESULTS

Five patients were detected. All required admission to the Intensive Care Unit. The ACPO syndrome developed with a mean of 33.8 days from the onset of symptoms. The mean duration of the ACPO syndrome was 24.6 days. The treatment included colonic decompression with placement of rectal and nasogastric tubes, endoscopy decompression in two patients, bowel rest, fluid, and electrolytes replacement. One patient died. The remaining resolved the gastrointestinal symptoms without surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

ACPO is an infrequent complication in patients with COVID-19. It occurs especially in patients with critical condition, who require prolonged stays in intensive care and multiple pharmacological treatments. It is important to recognize its presence early and thus establish an appropriate treatment, since the risk of complications is high.

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 associated vasculopathic diseases

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has shown to be an infectious disease affecting not only of the respiratory system, but also cardiovascular system leading to different COVID-19-associated vasculopathies. Venous and arterial thromboembolic events have been frequently described among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and inflammatory vasculopathic changes have also been observed. Several of the reported COVID-19 associated vasculopathies exhibit differences on epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcome compared to non-COVID-19 types. This review focuses on the epidemiology, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics as well as outcome data of COVID-19 associated thromboembolic events and inflammatory vasculopathies, elaborating similarities and differences with non-COVID-19 cohorts.

Spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery related to COVID-19

Background: Spontaneous peripheral dissections are rare, and in a substantial number of cases, the underlying aetiology remains unclear. Patients and methods: We report the case of a 63-year-old male patient with a recent asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection who presented with sudden-onset intermittent abdominal pain. Imaging studies revealed a dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and large-vessel vasculitis involving the SMA as well as the carotid, subclavian, axillary and femoropopliteal arteries. In the absence of other predisposing factors, we supposed an association with prior COVID-19 and performed a systematic review of the literature to search for similar cases with arterial dissection related to acute or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: We identified 25 cases, including ours: 13 males and 12 females, with a median age of 48 years. In 22/25 patients, arterial dissection occurred within 4 weeks after the diagnosis of COVID-19 and involved the cerebral (11/25; 44%), coronary (10/25; 40%), splanchnic (3/25; 12%) and renal (2/25; 8%) arteries. Conclusions: Although initially known for its respiratory manifestations, it has become evident that SARS-CoV-2 not only infects pneumocytes but also enters the vascular endothelium, leading to endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability and - as shown in our case - large-vessel vasculitis, which may predispose patients to intramural haemorrhage and arterial dissection.

Is Intussusception in an Adult with Active COVID-19 Infection a Surprise?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS COV2) had rapidly spread and caused a global pandemic worldwide. The most common symptoms in adults are respiratory with dry cough, dyspnea, and fever. Occasionally, extra-respiratory presentations may be seen such as gastrointestinal involvement with diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain. Acute intestinal intussusception is the most common cause of bowel obstruction in infants (2–4 months of age) but rarely could it be encountered in adult. It is a very rare gastro-intestinal manifestation of COVID-19 with an invagination of a segment of the bowel within a more distal one. The part that prolapses into the other is called the intussusceptum, and the part that receives it is called the intussuscipiens. Most of COVID-19 cases of AII are reported in the pediatric population between 4 and 10 months. Only a single case of small bowel obstruction secondary to ileo-colic intussusception in a COVID-19 infection adult was published on April 2021. We present here a challenging case of intussusception secondary to COVID-19 infection in an adult in the absence of respiratory symptoms. Our study presents the first case in Africa of AII in adult patients due to COVID-19.

Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in a COVID-19 Patient: Delay in Referral and Recommendation for Surgery

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is more common with symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. However, it may be associated with COVID-19-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms including acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI). These conditions make the diagnosis of AMI challenging. Timely referral with correct diagnosis and attention to the uncommon symptoms of COVID-19 can play an important role in the management and treatment of AMI in COVID-19 patients. We present a patient with AMI due to thrombotic complications of COVID-19, who referred to the hospital too late and ignored the recommendation for abdominal surgery.

COVID-19 and the Gastrointestinal Tract

Since it was discovered at the end of 2019; the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made a serious public health threat worldwide, with over 175 million confirmed cases reported globally. Even when COVID-19 was initially considered a respiratory disease, it was actually known to be multisystemic, with gastrointestinal involvement a common clinical finding. Furthermore, COVID-19 may affect patients with gastrointestinal comorbidities, being the clinical intersectionality of utmost interest for gastroenterologists; critical care physicians and all the healthcare team taking care of COVID-19 patients. The present article presents a brief review of the reported gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 disease in both previously healthy individuals and in patients with gastrointestinal comorbidities.