It is well documented that COVID-19 vaccines are effective tools for limiting the pandemic. Unfortunately, as is true for all vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals is still possible. We present an autopsy case of SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination (“breakthrough infection”) in an elderly man with several comorbidities where post-mortem CT scan was performed. The death was histologically attributed to cardio-respiratory arrest due to ischemic heart failure related to superinfected COVID-19 pneumonia and pre-existing comorbidities. For the first time in the literature, PMCT imaging related to a fatal, autopsy case of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection is reported. PMCT of the lungs, in accordance with histopathological results, showed few signs of COVID-19 pneumonia, large area of consolidation in the right lower lobe, interpreted as bronco-pneumonic focus, and hypostasis. These findings were well-correlated with the previously reported literature about both PMCT and clinical CT imaging of the lungs in non-vaccinated individuals with early COVID-19 pneumonia and about pulmonary clinical CT imaging in COVID-19 pneumonia in breakthrough SARS-COV-2 infections. Further studies are needed to cover the whole spectrum of PMCT lung imaging in fatal breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, this case represent a first step for exploring this difficult challenge during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using virtual autopsy.
Filograna, L., Manenti, G., Grassi, S., Zedda, M., Cazzato, F., Ryan, C. P., Arena, V., Pascali, V. L., Colosimo, C., Floris, R., Oliva, A., Virtual autopsy in SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection: a case report, <<FORENSIC IMAGING>>, 2022; 30 (N/A): 1-6. [doi:10.1016/j.fri.2022.200520] [https://hdl.handle.net/10807/242274]
Virtual autopsy in SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection: a case report
Filograna, Laura;Grassi, Simone;Zedda, Massimo;Cazzato, Francesca;Arena, Vincenzo;Pascali, Vincenzo Lorenzo;Colosimo, Cesare;Oliva, Antonio
2022
Abstract
It is well documented that COVID-19 vaccines are effective tools for limiting the pandemic. Unfortunately, as is true for all vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals is still possible. We present an autopsy case of SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination (“breakthrough infection”) in an elderly man with several comorbidities where post-mortem CT scan was performed. The death was histologically attributed to cardio-respiratory arrest due to ischemic heart failure related to superinfected COVID-19 pneumonia and pre-existing comorbidities. For the first time in the literature, PMCT imaging related to a fatal, autopsy case of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection is reported. PMCT of the lungs, in accordance with histopathological results, showed few signs of COVID-19 pneumonia, large area of consolidation in the right lower lobe, interpreted as bronco-pneumonic focus, and hypostasis. These findings were well-correlated with the previously reported literature about both PMCT and clinical CT imaging of the lungs in non-vaccinated individuals with early COVID-19 pneumonia and about pulmonary clinical CT imaging in COVID-19 pneumonia in breakthrough SARS-COV-2 infections. Further studies are needed to cover the whole spectrum of PMCT lung imaging in fatal breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, this case represent a first step for exploring this difficult challenge during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using virtual autopsy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.