Gulhan Ayhan-Albayrak, Department of Chest Diseases, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
Mustafa I. Bardakci, Department of Chest Diseases, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
Objective: Mediastinal lymphadenopathy (MLAP) has been reported in post-COVID-19 patients. In this study, the relationship between post-COVID-19 infection and MLAP was investigated in patients who had been diagnosed with MLAP and decided to undergo surgery. Methods: The study included the records of 140 patients who had been diagnosed with MLAP and were decided for surgical treatment. Demographic findings, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, chest X-ray, thorax computed tomography (CT) findings, positron emission tomography (PET)-CT findings, and histopathological results were recorded. Results: SUVmax value above 2.5 was 15 times more common in patients with positive PCR test results than in patients with negative results. Abnormal chest X-ray results were associated with a 9.3-fold increase in the number of patients, and the number of patients with abnormal pathology results was 33.9 times higher than those with normal results. Conclusions: Post-COVID-19 and MLAP (SUVmax 3-5) were shown to be associated independently of age, gender, comorbidities, and disease outcomes. MLAP lesions in patients with COVID-19 demonstrated SUVmax values that were 10-fold higher compared to patients without COVID-19. Determining reliable SUVmax values in patients with severe COVID-19 may help guide clinical decisions, tailor therapeutic approaches, and avoid unnecessary surgical indications.
Keywords: Mediastinal lymphadenopathy. SUVmax. Surgical indication. Positron emission tomography. Post-COVID-19.