MRI-Based Technology Maps Effects of COVID-19 on Body’s Key Organs

The UK’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the use of CoverScan MD, an MRI-based technology that maps the effects of COVID-19 on several of the body’s key organs.

With 1 in 20 COVID-19 patients predicted to experience ongoing symptoms, or “Long COVID”, CoverScan MD, developed by Perspectum Group (Oxford, UK), quickly and safely provides medical professionals with the information critically needed to assess and evaluate patients.

Long Covid affects 10-30% of people who have symptomatic infection with Sars-CoV-2 and is defined as symptomatic disease lasting longer than 12 weeks. Patients typically have extreme fatigue, chest pain, breathlessness, muscle aches and brain fog, but there are many reported symptoms. Many of these patients have organ damage or impairment, and ways of managing this are currently being researched. Patients with Long COVID are often unable to work for long periods of time, posing a significant burden to the economy and public services.

CoverScan MD is a software suite that provides a comprehensive, one-stop-shop assessment to detect damage in the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and spleen. This single, quick MRI exam eliminates the need for multiple individual or invasive tests. Healthcare professionals and patients are then provided with quantitative measurements and accurate information, enabling them to develop personalized treatment plans for the long-term care of patients. With the use of CoverScan MD, UK doctors will now have a technology to add to the arsenal of tools used to assess and evaluate patients with Long-COVID, while at the same time gain a greater understanding of its symptoms and long-term impact on different organ systems.

“The MHRA authorization of Coverscan is timely,” said Dr. Melissa Heightman, Consultant Respiratory Physician, UCL, and Head of North London Long COVID care services.
“UK experts and NICE are developing a COVID follow up pathway which provides equitable access and high-quality community-based triage with rapid access to diagnostics and multi-specialty services. We have seen over 800 patients in North London, and it would be very valuable for their clinical care to be able to access COVERSCAN results.”

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Perspectum Group