Use of chest CT-scan images to differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 infection and fat embolism: A clinical case

Penance Agbelele, MD; François Van Maris, MD; Mario Sanguina, MD; Bachar Zerkly, MD; Az-Eddine Djebara, MD; Pierre Girard, MD

Radiology Case Reports (Oct 2020)

Use of chest CT-scan images to differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 infection and fat embolism: A clinical case

Penance Agbelele, MD,
François Van Maris, MD,
Mario Sanguina, MD,
Bachar Zerkly, MD,
Az-Eddine Djebara, MD,
Pierre Girard, MD

Affiliations

Penance Agbelele, MD: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, South Oise Hospital Group, Creil, France
François Van Maris, MD: Medical Imaging Department, South Oise Hospital Group, Creil, France
Mario Sanguina, MD: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, South Oise Hospital Group, Creil, France
Bachar Zerkly, MD: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, South Oise Hospital Group, Creil, France
Az-Eddine Djebara, MD: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, University Hospital of Amiens-Picardy 80480, Salouel, France; Corresponding author at. 12 rue Ledru Rollin, 59260, Hellemmes-Lille (France).
Pierre Girard, MD: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, South Oise Hospital Group, Creil, France; Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, University Hospital of Amiens-Picardy 80480, Salouel, France

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 10
pp. 2047 – 2050

Abstract

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The authors present the case of a young man victim of a traffic accident during the SARS-CoV-2 confinement, having presented a fracture of the femoral shaft that was soon complicated by respiratory failure with oxygen desaturation. In this pandemic context, Covid-19 RT-PCR tests were carried out but returned negative. The CT images could suggest either a fatty embolism, a SARS-CoV-2 infection or both. The patient's condition improved significantly after going into intensive care and only symptomatic treatment. This case demonstrates the difficulty of differential interpretation of CT images between fatty embolism and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Published in Radiology Case Reports

ISSN: 1930-0433 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/radiology-case-reports

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