Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39873704›Full record

ArticleRadiologie (Heidelberg, Germany)2025

Diffusion tensor imaging features of white matter pathways in the brain after COVID-19 infection.

Serdar Balsak, Bahar Atasoy, Fatma Yabul, Ahmet Akcay, Ismail Yurtsever, Hayrettin Daskaya, Yasemin Akkoyunlu, Zeynep Donmez, Aslı Yaman Kula, Ozlem Toluk and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Radiologie (Heidelberg, Germany), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Serdar BalsakDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey. serdar.balsak@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8765-4418
Bahar AtasoyDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5393-5876
Fatma YabulDepartment of Radiology, Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Education and Training Hospital, 34140, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0156-0056
Ahmet AkcayDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7016-6004
Ismail YurtseverDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7482-668X
Hayrettin DaskayaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0155-1387
Yasemin AkkoyunluDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Bezmialem Vakif University Hospital, 34093, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0972-0461
Zeynep DonmezDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0030-3250
Aslı Yaman KulaDepartment of Neurology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8857-9210
Ozlem TolukDepartment of Biostatistics, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6495-0839
Alpay AlkanDepartment of Radiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3002-1641

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo determine whether there is a difference in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values in white matter pathways in the subacute period after COVID-19 infection and to evaluate the correlation between diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics and laboratory findings. MATERIAL AND

methodsThe study included 64 healthy controls and 91 patients. Patients were classified as group 1 (all patients, n = 91), group 2 (outpatients, n = 58), or group 3 (inpatients, n = 33). The ADC and FA values were calculated from 10 distinct neuroanatomic localizations; DTI values were compared between groups.

resultsDecreased FA values in the cingulum, corpus callosum splenium and genu (CCS-CCG), forceps major, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) observed in group 1 compared with the control group. Group 1 showed elevated ADC values in CCG. Lower FA and higher ADC values in CCG were shown in group 3. The FA values for CCS, IFOF, and MCP in group 3 were lower than those in the control group. Group 3 had the highest ADC values in the CCS. Additionally, the FA values of the CCG were lower in group 3 than in group 2. Oxygen saturation levels and FA values in the CCG and SFOF exhibited a positive correlation.

conclusionWe speculate that DTI changes in white matter pathways may be associated with axonal damage and demyelination due to impaired white matter integrity following COVID-19 infection during the subacute period. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our study showed with DTI findings that there is microstructural damage in white matter pathways in the subacute period of COVID-19 infection and that this damage is related to oxygen saturation levels. Many studies in the literature show that microstructural damage in white matter pathways can lead to clinical neurocognitive dysfunction. We suggest that these cases require more comprehensive studies investigating whether chronic white matter damage is reversible and examining its relationship with neurocognitive dysfunctions in the future. MAIN POINTS: Neurological involvement is not rare in COVID-19 infection. We examined various white matter pathways with DTI during the subacute period of COVID-19 infection. We showed changes in DTI parameters indicating a decrease in white matter integrity and microstructural damage in the subacute period follow-up of cases with COVID-19. We found that there was a positive correlation between oxygen saturation levels and decreased FA values in white matter tracts.

Indexed as

BrainCOVID-19Diffusion Tensor ImagingWhite MatterAdultAgedAnisotropyCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)COVID-19Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)Fractional anisotropy (FA)White matter pathways

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.