title: "The significance of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in detection and monitoring of the treatment efficacy of heart involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients".
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) has emerged as a sensitive and non-invasive technique in the evaluation of cardiac lesions in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the ability of CMRI to detection and monitoring of the treatment efficacy in EGPA patients with cardiac involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  To the retrospective-prospective study were enrolled 33 cardiac involvement EGPA patients. In 19 of them CMRI at the moment of diagnosis was performed, in 14 - CMRI after treatment was made, when this method was available - in this group the cardiac involvement was based on the clinical findings. All patients were treated with corticosteroids (CSs) and/or cyclophosphamide (CY). In the first group the control CMRI after one year of treatment was performed, but in the second group the time from the end of the treatment to execution of CMRI was 2-5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients had heart injury in CMRI. Myocardial edema was present in 87.8% cases, 54.5% of patients had perfusion defects and in all - late gadolinium enhancement was observed. Control CMRI was performed in 32 cases. Improvement was observed in 81% of patients - in 11% of them all lesions undergone completely remission and in 35% of them evolution to global fibrosis was found. In 7% of patients stabilization was achieved and in 12% - progression was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMRI is a sensitive method detecting cardiac lesions in EGPA patients. It helps to detect patients, who need combined therapy and helps evaluate the therapeutic effect.
authors.affiliation: . jfijolek@op.pl.
authors.forename: Justyna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fijolek
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wiatr
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gawryluk
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nowicka
authors.forename: Magdalena Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Martusewicz-Boros
authors.forename: Jaroslaw
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kober
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piotrowska-Kownacka
authors.forename: Kazimierz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roszkowski-Sliz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057791:Cardiac Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000150:complications*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EGPA; heart involvement; magnetic resonance