Coronary vessel wall contrast enhancement imaging as a potential direct marker of coronary involvement: integration of findings from CAD and SLE patients.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study investigated the feasibility of visual and quantitative assessment of coronary vessel wall contrast enhancement (CE) for detection of symptomatic atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) and subclinical coronary vasculitis in autoimmune inflammatory disease (systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]), as well as the association with aortic stiffness, an established marker of risk.

Background

Coronary CE by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a novel noninvasive approach to visualize gadolinium contrast uptake within the coronary artery vessel wall.

Methods

A total of 75 subjects (CAD: n = 25; SLE: n = 27; control: n = 23) underwent CMR imaging using a 3-T clinical scanner. Coronary arteries were visualized by a T2-prepared steady state free precess

SUBMITTER: Varma N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4136741 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature