Imaging of cardiovascular complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

In the long-term survivals of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death. Recently, multi-modality cardiovascular imaging methods have been adopted for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk, which has shown to be associated with both traditional cardiovascular risk factors and SLE-specific conditions. Quantitative imaging biomarkers, which can describe both morphological and functional abnormalities in the heart, are expected to provide new insights to stratify cardiovascular risks and to guide SLE management by assessing the individual responses to therapies either protecting the cardiovascular system or suppressing the autoimmune reactions. In this review, we will discuss cutting-edge cardiovascular imaging techniques and discuss potential clinical applications and limitations of those techniques for the evaluation of major SLE related heart disorders.

Utilidad de la tomografía simple de tórax en pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico

“…Debido a ello se sugiere la realización de una cuantificación no invasiva por medio del estudio de Ca Score o incluso angiotomografía de arterias coronarias para una mayor prevención 10 . En la cohorte de Romero-Díaz et al 11 se demostró que el LES es un predictor de riesgo para el incremento de la Ca Score a los 5.1 años de seguimiento. En nuestro estudio, el 21% de los pacientes presentó una Ca Score positiva, y sumando a aquellos con ateromas calcificados en otros sitios representó el hallazgo con mayor incidencia (43.9%).…”

Left Ventricular noncompaction in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

“…Cardiac involvement is not uncommon in SLE. Pericarditis, myocarditis, nonbacterial endocarditis, coronary artery disease, premature coronary atherosclerosis or congestive heart failure are known to occur in SLE [9]. However, a cardiac manifestation in the form of a cardiomyopathy mimicking LVNC was rarely described in these patients [6,7,10].…”

Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Inflammatory Rheumatological Conditions

“…In SLE patients, it is critical to diagnose CHD at an early stage. Electronbeam CT (EBCT) and multidetector CT (MDCT) can be used to detect increased coronary calcium deposits (34); cardiac MRI is regarded as the best noninvasive technology to demonstrate inflammatory changes (35).…”