Table 2.
Abdominal imaging findings observed in 23 children with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (PIMS-TS) compared with pooled data of relevant reviewed studies (n=10) following a literature search
| Imaging findings on abdominal US/CT/MRI | Incidence in children included in our study (n=23) | Average of incidence from pooled data of 10 similar studies in literatured |
|---|---|---|
| Free fluid | 78% | 49.6% |
| Mesenteric inflammation | 52% | 10.3% |
| Enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes | 52% (RIF) | 24.8% |
| Ileal thickening | 35% | 18.9% |
| Cecal/ascending colon thickening | 35% | 7.8% |
| Appendicitis | 30% | 1.9% |
| Other bowel thickeninga | 18% | 2.3% |
| Renal involvementb | 22% | 8.4% |
| Splenomegaly | 17% | 3.1% |
| Pericholecystic fluid / GB wall edema | 4% | 13.5% |
| Collectionc | 4% | – |
| Esophageal thickening | 4% | – |
| Hepatomegaly | – | 10.6% |
| Splenic lesions/infarction | – | 0.9% |
CT computed tomography, GB gallbladder, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, RIF right iliac fossa, US ultrasound
aJejunal thickening (n=3), sigmoid thickening (n=1)
bEchogenic kidneys (n=2), enlarged kidneys (n=3)
cOne child had ileal thickening, mesenteric inflammation and enlarged mesenteric lymph node on initial US scan; subsequent follow-up US, CT and MRI showed a collection in the right iliac fossa and possible perforated appendicitis with a collection. This was treated conservatively as a PIMS-TS complication and the inflammation and collection had resolved at further follow-up US
dDetails of studies from literature included in analysis summarized in Online Supplementary Material 6