Summary
Forty randomly selected patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were studied by clinical and serologic parameters and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Abnormal MRI was found in 15/40 patients (37,5%): all 15 cases showed multiple widespread small-sized areas of increased signal in T2 in the white matter; in one of these patients MRI also displayed a large area with a reduced signal in T1 and an increased signal in T2 involving both the white and the gray matter. Among the 15 patients with abnormal MRI, only 7 had neuropsychiatric symptoms. The presence of MRI changes was highest in patients with organic type symptoms and was associated to the highest disease severity scores. A long-term follow up of asymptomatic patients would be useful to establish whether the application of MRI is appropriate for the assessment of CNS involvement in SLE.
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Cauli, A., Montaldo, C., Peltz, M.T. et al. Abnormalities of magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus correlate with disease severity. Clin Rheumatol 13, 615–618 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02243004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02243004