RESEARCH - Cardiac MRI in patients with SLE

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Ann Rheum Dis. Published Online First: 26 November 2008.

doi:10.1136/ard.2008.098053

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Concise Report

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in patients with Systemic Lupus

Erythematosus

G O'Neill 1, Simon Woldman 2, Frederique Bailliard 3,

Norman 3, McEwan 2, A Isenberg 1, M 3 and

Anisur Rahman 1*

1 University College London, United Kingdom

2 The Heart Hospital, University College London Hospital, United Kingdom

3 The Centre for Cardiovascular MR, Cardiothoracic Unit, University

College London, United Kingdom

Abstract

Objectives: To delineate the cardiac magnetic resonance (MR)

appearances of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with systemic

lupus erythematosus (SLE), in comparison with trans-thoracic

echocardiographs (TTE).

Methods: Cardiac MR was performed on 22 patients with SLE, including

11 with previous CVD and 11 matched controls, using late gadolinium

contrast enhancement (LGE) to identify areas of myocardial scarring.

TTE was performed on the same day as the MR.

Results: Twenty female and two male patients participated. LGE was

seen in 5/11 subjects in the CVD group and 1/11 in the control group.

LGE was seen in 4/5 patients with previous myocardial infarction. One

patient with previous stroke but no cardiac history had multiple areas

of patchy LGE in the myocardium. One patient with antiphospholipid

syndrome had LGE suggestive of a previous silent infarct. TTE detected

myocardial abnormalities in 2 of the 6 patients with LGE.

Conclusion: The cardiac MR appearance of CVD in this small group of

patients with SLE was suggestive of coronary disease, rather than

cumulative inflammatory muscle damage. Cardiac MR detected more

abnormalities than TTE. Further studies of cardiac MR in patients with

SLE are warranted to investigate these preliminary findings.

http://ard.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/ard.2008.098053v1?papetoc

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