Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with systemic sclerosis

Background: Systemic sclerosis is a multisystem disease where functional and structural abnormalities of small blood vessels prevail. Recently, transient ischemic attacks, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhages have been reported as primary consequence of vascular central nervous system affection in systemic sclerosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered to be the most sensitive diagnostic technique for detecting symptomatic and asymptomatic lesions in the brain in cases of multifocal diseases. Objective: Evaluate brain changes in patients with systemic sclerosis using MRI. Patients and methods: Thirty female patients with systemic sclerosis aged 27–61 years, with disease duration of 1–9 years and with no history of other systemic disease or cerebrovascular accidents, were enrolled. An age‐matched female control group of 30 clinically normal subjects, underwent brain MR examination. Results: Central nervous system involvement in the form of white matter hyperintense foci of variable sizes were found in significantly abundant forms in systemic sclerosis patients on MR evaluation than in the age‐related control group, signifying a form of central nervous system vasculopathy. Such foci showed no definite correlation with disease duration, yet they showed significant correlation to severity of peripheral vascular disease, headaches, fainting attacks and depression in the group under study. Conclusion: Asymptomatic as well as symptomatic central nervous system ischemic vasculopathy is not uncommon in systemic sclerosis patients and MRI is considered a sensitive noninvasive screening tool for early detection of CNS involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis.     

Magnetic resonance imaging versus musculoskeletal ultrasound in the evaluation of temporomandibular joint in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Aim of the work

To evaluate temporomandibular joint (TMJ) affection in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) versus musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and to correlate the findings with clinical manifestations, disease activity and functional status.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in primary amyloidosis-associated arthropathy

The MRI findings of amyloid arthropathy associated with primary amyloidosis are presented here possibly for the first time in the literature. Two types of lesions are noted: (1) capsular and tendon lesions; these regions are thickened, hypointense and enhanced by gadolinium (Gd) on T1 weighted imaging (T1WI), and hyperintense on T2 weighted imaging (T2WI), and (2) periarticular and osseous lesions; these regions appear to be tumor-forming and hypointense on both T1WI and T2WI and are not enhanced by Gd. It is necessary to differentiate these findings from other diseases such as chondrosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and chronic inflammatory lesions such as tuberculosis.     

Magnetic resonance imaging in patients with inflammatory arthritis of the knee

Summary Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) permits visualization of anatomic structures not appreciated by conventional radiographic imaging and may quantify inflammatory disease and its progression with greater sensitivity than available techniques. We therefore compared MRIwith clinical evaluation and with radiographic examination of 17 patients with inflammatory arthritis of the knee. We sought to determine anatomic integrity of bone, cartilage, menisci, and ligaments, and to quantify joint effusion and synovial proliferation. Patients studied had rheumatoid arthritis (10patients), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (4patients), ankylosing spondylitis (1 patient), and monoarticular arthritis (2 patients). In all patients MRI revealed clinically important abnormalities not detected by physical or conventional radiographic exams. These included proliferative synovitis (13 patients), cartilage thinning (2 patients), cartilage erosion (8 patients), bone infarction (1 patient), meniscal injury (1 patient), and synovial invagination into bone (1 patient). Also MRI indicated inflammatory disease to be quantitatively greater than had been appreciated on clinical examination or routine X-ray studies-proliferative synovitis (12 patients), erosion (7 patients), effusion (8 patients), cartilage thinning (11 patients), and ligamentous/meniscal damage (1 patient). These findings led to reassessment of anatomic staging and influenced therapeutic decision for these patients. Thus MRI provides clinically important information about joint integrity and inflammatory disease, with a sensitivity and resolution considerably beyond conventional techniques.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of the perineum in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has profoundly changed and improved the investigation of abdominal and pelvic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in pediatrics. Using an imaging modality without ionizing radiation is of particular advantage because the pediatric IBD population is young and often requires repeat evaluation. MRI of the pelvis has become the imaging gold standard for detecting and monitoring perianal disease while bowel-directed imaging techniques (eg, enterography, enteroclysis and colonography) can accurately evaluate bowel inflammation in IBD. With recent technological innovations leading to faster and higher resolution, the role of MRI in IBD will likely continue to expand. The present article focuses on MRI of the perineum in pediatric IBD.     

Magnetic resonance imaging quantification of hand synovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with adalimumab

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical response and to evaluate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the inflammatory tissue changes in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with adalimumab. METHODS: Thirteen patients with refractory RA who were treated with adalimumab (40 mg every 2 weeks subcutaneously) were examined with MRI of the dominant affected wrist and hand before treatment and one year after therapy. The volume of the enhanced inflammatory tissue (VEIT) was evaluated in fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI images using the Analyse 4.0 software. Disease activity was evaluated using the Disease Activity Score 28-joint (DAS-28). Clinical improvement was evaluated according to the American College of Rheumatology 20% response criteria (ACR20%). RESULTS: We studied 12 women and one man, with mean age 52.0 +/- 10.9 years and mean disease duration 13.0 +/- 8.5 years. Eight patients had positive IgM rheumatoid factor. One year after treatment, 11 (84.6%) patients showed a decrease of the VEIT. Moreover the values of C-reactive protein (CRP; 4.3 +/- 6.6 mg/l), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; 26.3 +/- 19.5 mm/h), the DAS-28 (3.5 +/- 1.1), and the VEIT (21.6 +/- 10.7 cm3) after treatment were significantly lower compared to the corresponding values before treatment (CRP 41.6 +/- 39.2), (ESR 54.3 +/- 28.6) (DAS-28 5.8 +/- 0.8), and (VEIT 36.9 +/- 16.8) (p < 0.01). All but 3 (76.9%) patients with RA achieved the ACR20% response, while 7 (53.8%) and 5 (38.5%) patients achieved ACR50% and ACR70% response, respectively. A positive correlation between VEIT, swollen joint count, and ESR was found before treatment (r = 0.59, r = 0.64, respectively; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In patients with refractory RA, treatment with adalimumab resulted in improvement of clinical, laboratory, and MRI findings. MRI assessment of the VEIT may represent an additional tool for investigation of joint disease activity and responsiveness to treatment.     

Characteristics of musculoskeletal ultrasound and its relationship with systemic inflammation in systemic sclerosis patients

Aim of the workTo describe musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) findings in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to study their relation with cardiopulmonary and skin affection.Patient and methodsIn 50 SSc patients, hands, wrists and six entheses sites were evaluated by MSUS. Entheses were scored using the Madrid Sonography Enthesitis Index (MASEI). The modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) was assessed.ResultsThey were 42 females/8males with a mean age 36.2 ± 11.6 years, disease duration 3.5 ± 4.2 years, 27 had limited skin affection and 23 diffuse and the mRSS was 4.1 ± 15.3. 54% had arthritis, 10% tendon friction rub, 16% joint contractures and 10% calcinosis. 18% had left ventricular hypertrophy, 34% had pulmonary hypertension, 20% had restrictive pulmonary function test (PFT) and 24% had interstial lung disease (ILD). Synovitis was detected in 58% and was significantly related to mRSS, left ventricular hypertrophy, PFT, pulmonary hypertension and ILD (p = 0.023, p = 0.03, p = 0.006, p = 0.026 and p = 0.039 respectively). Common extensor tenosynovitis was detected in 82% and was significantly related to mRSS, PFT and ILD (p = 0.019, p = 0.043 and p = 0.032 respectively). Joint erosions were detected in 36% and were significantly related to age and C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.01 and p = 0.034). Enthesopathy showed a significant relation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CRP and mRSS (p = 0.014, p = 0.013, p = 0.025, respectively).ConclusionArticular involvement is common in SSc and underestimated by clinical examination. Synovitis is associated with cardiovascular complication in SSc. Tenosynovitis is clinically related to restrictive pulmonary function. Enthesopathy should be kept in mind in symptomatic patients with systemic sclerosis.     

Magnetic resonance imaging in patients with implanted devices

Techniques and Technology. The use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a diagnostic technique is rapidly expanding. In parallel, the number of patients with cardiac devices is constantly growing and many of them may be referred for MR examinations. However, implantable cardiac devices are subject to multiple effects from MR, and numerous safety issues need to be considered prior to scanning. In this review, we will summarize our experience with MR imaging of patients with implantable cardiac devices, and outline our safety protocol. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 1040-1042, September 2012).     

Magnetic resonance imaging in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

We examined the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting active muscle disease in 40 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Ten patients without evidence of an inflammatory neuromuscular disease were also studied. The fat-suppressive (STIR) image signal intensity correlated with clinical disease activity and, in most cases, with the presence of inflammation on muscle biopsy. Increased STIR signal intensity paralleled disease activity in 3 patients followed serially. MRI provided a detailed anatomic view of the extent of muscle changes in these diseases. Because of inherent limitations of other measures of disease in these disorders, MRI may prove to be a useful complimentary test for assessing disease activity and guiding therapeutic decisions and biopsy in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cerebral proton spectroscopy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective. To investigate the prevalence and extent of cerebral changes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods. SLE patients (47 women) and controls (25 women) underwent 1.5T MRI. A semiautomated segmentation technique calculated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain volumes. Proton MRS of the frontal and parieto-occipital white matter yielded metabolite ratios of N-acetyl groups (NA), choline, and creatine. Results. Compared with the control group, the SLE patients more often had cerebral atrophy on MRI (32% versus 0%), confirmed by an increase in the CSF to intracranial volume ratio. The patients also had old infarcts and hemorrhages (8.5% versus 0%) and more small white matter lesions (23% versus 8% had > 5 such lesions). MRS showed relative reduction of NA peaks. Although no patient was studied when acutely ill, prior neurologic involvement was related to abnormal findings. Conclusion. MRI and MRS are helpful in the investigation of cerebral complications of SLE. There are chronic changes which may be ischemic in nature. Their precise cause, consequences, and prevention are current challenges.     

Magnetic resonance imaging patterns in patients with multiple myeloma

Sixty-one consecutive patients with multiple myeloma were studied with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine. Sagittal T1-weighted and short inversion time (TI) inversion recovery (STIR) images were obtained. The MR patterns of the bone marrow were classified as diffuse (D) ( n  = 26), nodular (N) ( n  = 11), D + N ( n  = 13) or normal (n) ( n  = 11). Abnormal patterns were seen in 50 (82%) of the 61 patients. Correlations were found between the MR imaging patterns and some laboratory findings (WBC, haematocrit, platelet count, serum albumin, and percentage of marrow plasmacytosis). The survival of the patients with abnormal MRI patterns was significantly poorer than that of the patients with normal patterns. However, the survival of patients with a nodular pattern did not differ from those with a normal pattern. The MR imaging pattern of the bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma is a useful factor in the assessment of prognosis.     

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with Brugada syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a powerful diagnostic tool for evaluating cardiac structure and function. Recently, right ventricular wall-motion abnormalities were described using electron beam tomography in patients with Brugada syndrome. In the present study, we prospectively evaluated CMR findings in patients with Brugada syndrome compared to matched controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: CMR was performed on 20 consecutive patients with proven Brugada syndrome. The imaging protocol included breath-hold dark blood prepared T1-weighted multislice turbo spin-echo and gradient-echo images. Ventricular volumes and dimensions were compared to age- and sex-matched normal volunteers. The right ventricular outflow tract area was significantly enlarged in patients with Brugada syndrome compared to controls (11 vs 9 cm2, P = 0.018). There was a trend to larger right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and lower right ventricular ejection fraction in patients with Brugada syndrome compared to controls. However, none of the differences reached significance (P = 0.3, P = 0.08, and P = 0.06, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in the left ventricular parameters between patients and controls. High intramyocardial T1 signal similar to fat signal was observed in 4 (20%) of the 20 patients compared to none of the controls. CONCLUSION: The findings support the view that subtle structural changes, such as right ventricular outflow tract dilation may point to a localized arrhythmogenic substrate in patients with Brugada syndrome.     

Magnetic resonance imaging in children and adolescents with chronic inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) represent challenges, both from a diagnostic, and therapeutic point of view. Deep-seated anatomic structures are difficult to assess by ultrasound technique alone. As radiation-free alternative cross-sectional imaging method, magnetic resonance imaging of the intestinal structures is costly and time-consuming. Examination of pediatric patients imply additional considerations: reduction of body motions in younger children and consideration of the most appropriate preparation, and examination technique. The demanding Sellink technique is the only means for appropriately distending the lesser intestine in order to detect small bowel strictures. Oral intake of contrast medium(CM) alone shows its limitations regarding distensibility. The need for intravenous contrast media application needs to be considered, too. Active inflammation of both intestinal wall, and mesentery can be demonstrated accurately. Nevertheless, viable alternatives to CM application is desirable, considering non-negligible adverse reactions. Recent data suggest diffusion weighted imaging might fill this diagnostic gap. Irrespective of sequence technique chosen, bowel movement remains a major obstacle. Antispasmolytics in their function as smooth muscle relaxants help in improving image quality, however, their use in children might be off-label. Optimal preparation for the examination and appropriate imaging technique allow for diagnosing typical patterns of changes in IBD, such as bowel wall thickening, ulcers, mural stratification, strictures, creeping fat, and comb sign, and lymphadenopathy. The article gives a detailed overview of current significance of magnetic resonance imaging pediatric patients suffering from IBD, considering indications, limitations, and safety aspects.     

Potential biomarkers for detecting pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the major complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the main cause of morbi-mortality. It is important to find predictors for this vascular problem. The objective of this study was to determine the serum levels of different biomarkers in patients with SSc and secondary PAH and to compare them with those of healthy control subjects to define their potential role as predictors of PAH. Cross-section study in which 20 patients with SSc were included. PAH was diagnosed by echocardiogram. The optical densities of endoglin (Eng), endothelin-1 (ET-1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), tumoral necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), Transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2) and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) were measured in 20 patients with SSc and 20 healthy controls matched by sex. The differences found between the group of patients with PAH and the control group were (mean or median and range): ET-1 (0.20; 0.10–0.35 vs. 0.16; 0.10–0.24; P = 0.0276), IL-8 (195.7; 45.5–504 vs. 118.9; 23–299.5; P = 0.0364), TNF-α (0.70; 0.50–0.96 vs. 0.48; 0.38–0.65; P = 1 × 10⁻⁸) and Eng (0.95; 0.57–1.72 vs. 0.75; 0.57–0.89; P = 0.0028). A correlation was found between the progression of the disease and the development of Raynaud’s phenomenon (Rho: 0.67 and P = 0.0011), ET-1 and Eng (Rho: 0.53 and P = 0.0196), and between IL-8 and Eng (Rho: 0.68 and P = 0.0019). In conclusions, the elevation of the serum levels of Eng and ET-1 could represent a useful tool as PAH biomarkers. Nevertheless, the diagnostic value of these markers needs to be determined by prospective studies. Drs. P. Coral-Alvarado and G. Quintana contributed equally to this work and both should be considered as first authors.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist and finger joints in patients with inflammatory joint diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To study magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in the wrist and metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints in 4 patient groups: early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (< 3 yrs); established RA (> 3 yrs); other arthritis; arthralgia. METHODS: MRI was obtained before and after contrast (gadodiamide) injection of the wrist and finger joints in 103 patients and 7 controls. The study included: (1) 28 patients with disease duration < 3 yrs who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA; (2) 25 patients with RA disease duration > 3 yrs who fulfilled the ACR criteria. (3) 25 patients with reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or mixed connective tissue disease; and (4) 25 patients with arthralgia. The following MRI variables were assessed: number of joints with enhancement after contrast injection, number of joints with joint fluid, and number of bones with edema in the wrist and fingers. The volume of the enhancing synovial membrane after contrast injection in the MCP, PIP, and DIP joints was manually outlined. MR images were scored independently under blinded conditions. RESULTS: Bone marrow edema was found in 68% of the patients with established RA, and the number of bones with edema was significantly higher in patients with established RA compared to patients with early RA, other arthritis, and arthralgia (Mann-Whitney p < 0.04). Bone edema was not found in patients with arthralgia. There was marked overlap within and between the patient groups. No differences in MRI features were found between patients with early RA and patients with other arthritis. The volumes of the synovial membrane in the MCP, PIP, and DIP joints were significantly higher in patients with arthritis compared to patients with arthralgia. CONCLUSION: Although there was marked overlap between the arthritis patient groups, MRI determined bone marrow edema and synovial membrane volumes provided additional information about disease activity and may be used as a marker of it. Bone marrow edema appeared with the highest percentage in patients with long duration of RA (> 3 yrs) and is probably secondary to changes in inflammatory activity.