MRI functional and tissue characterisation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Introduction The high prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities in patients (pts.) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) results to an increased risk of premature cardiovascular events. Inflammatory and immunological processes have been associated with the pathogenesis of myocardial necrosis and dysfunction, however only scarce data exists on cardiac tissue characterization. Non-invasive gadolinium contrast-enhanced cardiovascular MRI (CEMRI) offers the ability to identify micro-vascular noninfarct-specific inflammatory processes in combination with myocardial functional assessment.