The application of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccines : Case series from single medical center in Taiwan

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports of vaccine-induced myocarditis, particularly messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based myocarditis, were widely spread. This case series describes various cases of COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including those who were administered rare protein-based vaccines. Eleven patients comprising eight males and three females with suspected myocarditis underwent cardiac MRI at Taichung Veterans General Hospital between October 2021 and May 2022. The median age of the patients was 33.5 years old (range: 22-57 years). The onset of myocarditis was mainly observed following mRNA vaccine inoculation. One patient received the MVC-COV1901 vaccine, a unique protein-based COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan, and met the 2018 Lake Louise Criteria for the diagnosis of myocarditis, confirmed by cardiac MRI. Most patients reported chest discomfort after receiving various vaccine types. Among four patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), two showed LVEF restoration during the follow-up period, and the other two were lost to follow-up. Cardiac MRI characterizes myocardial features such as edema, inflammation, and fibrosis, and has been proven to diagnose myocarditis accurately with a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 96.2% according to the 2018 Lake Louise criteria. This diagnosis was achieved without invasive procedures such as endomyocardial biopsy or coronary angiography.