COVID-19 vaccine is here: practical considerations for clinical imaging applications

Imaging tools are potentially able to provide valuable data regarding the development of an efficient vaccine against viral diseases. Tracking immune cells in vivo by imaging modalities can help us understand the intrinsic behaviors of immune cells in response to vaccine components. Imaging patterns at the vaccination site and draining lymph nodes might provide useful information about the vaccine potency. Besides, serial lung CT imaging has been purposed to evaluate vaccine efficiency regarding its protection against typical lung lesions of viral pneumonias. On the other hand, vaccination causes various confusing radiologic patterns that pose diagnostic challenges for clinicians and pitfalls for reading radiologists. This manuscript reviews potential applications of imaging modalities in the process of vaccine development and also goes over some of the imaging findings/pitfalls following vaccination.
Highlights • Imaging tools could track the immune cell dynamics in vivo, which holds valuable research attention in the vaccination field. • Serial CT imaging might be a great indicator of vaccine efficiency in research setting. • Vaccination causes various confusing radiologic patterns that pose diagnostic challenges for clinicians and radiologists.