Cardio-thoracic imaging and COVID-19 in the pediatric population: A narrative review

Abstract

Worldwide experience about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics suggests that symptomatic disease is significantly less frequent in the pediatric age range. Nevertheless, multi-system inflammatory syndrome has been consistently reported in children and has been associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 exposure. In this paper we give an overview of the multimodality chest imaging of pediatric patients with suspected COVID-19, focusing on relevant differences with adults.

Keywords: COVID-19; Radiology; Imaging; Chest; Pediatric; SARS-CoV-2

Core Tip: Although the pattern of lung involvement of coronavirus disease 2019 in children reproduces the pathology described in the general population, traditional imaging modalities have several limitations in this age group. Specific and unique findings are mainly related to the occurrence of multi-system inflammatory syndrome which is a peculiar complication reproducibly reported in the pediatric population. This syndrome is characterized by occurrence of atypical symptoms as compared with presentation in adult and multimodality imaging approach has to be contemplated.