Cardiac MRI sheds new light on vaccine-related myocarditis

COVID-19 vaccine associated myocarditis on short-axis 1.5T MRI images of a 19-year-old man who presented with chest pain three days following the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine associated myocarditis on short-axis 1.5T MRI images of a 19-year-old man who presented with chest pain three days following the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Cardiac MRI performed two days after symptom onset demonstrates mid wall to subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at the basal to mid inferior lateral wall with adjacent pericardial enhancement (red arrows), corresponding hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging (orange arrows. He was admitted and was discharged after two days following complete resolution of his symptoms. Image courtesy of RSNA

Vaccine-associated myocarditis shows an injury pattern on cardiac MRI similar to other causes of myocarditis, but abnormalities are less severe.