Magnetic resonance enterography appraisal of lupus enteritis: A case report

Lupus enteritis: a narrative review

Lupus enteritis (LE) is a rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. The pathophysiology of LE has not been fully elucidated, although inflammatory and thrombotic processes are likely important factors. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms may depend on which portion of the intestine is affected. Over half of the patients with LE also present with renal or haematological complications. The diagnosis of LE is based on clinical, histopathological and imaging findings; abdominal computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard in diagnosis. Abdominal CT can also identify factors that predict complications and could potentially guide pharmacological and nutritional management. Timely identification and prompt treatment initiation are paramount to avoid life and organ threatening complications. Glucocorticoids are often the first-line treatment. Additional therapy including immunosuppressive therapy is utilised on a case-by-case basis as there are no clinical trials to define the optimal therapeutic approach. Surgical intervention may be needed especially if there is bowel perforation or peritonitis. In general, the prognosis of LE is good.

Acute flare of systemic lupus erythematosus with extensive gastrointestinal involvement: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Lupus mesenteric vasculitis (LMV) is a serious condition that may occur as an acute manifestation of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement and is not easily diagnosed by physicians. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of LMV may lead to rapid disease progression and can be life threatening.

CASE SUMMARY

A previously healthy 27-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain following a history of fatigue and consumption of cold water. Laboratory investigations, physical examinations, and enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) suggested systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by LMV. She received treatments, such as GI decompression, somatostatin, glucocorticoids, and immunosuppressants, and was evaluated using color ultrasonography. Twenty days later, the patient reported no stomach discomfort and was able to consume semi-liquid food. Laboratory investigations showed that inflammatory factors decreased to normal levels and complement levels increased slightly. One year after discharged, she recovered with methylprednisolone being tapered to 4 mg per day, mycophenolate mofetil to 0.75 g bid, and hydroxychloroquine to 0.2 g bid; however, only C3 complement level was slightly below the normal level.

CONCLUSION

Early diagnosis of LMV is essential for successful treatment; this depends on a combination of clinical manifestations, laboratory investigations, and imaging findings. Enhanced CT is preferred, but ultrasonography can be used for prompt screening and follow-up.

Imaging of intestinal vasculitis focusing on MR and CT enterography: a two-way street between radiologic findings and clinical data

Diagnosis of intestinal vasculitis is often challenging due to the non-specific clinical and imaging findings. Vasculitides with gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations are rare, but their diagnosis holds immense significance as late or missed recognition can result in high mortality rates. Given the resemblance of radiologic findings with some other entities, GI vasculitis is often overlooked on small bowel studies done using computed tomography/magnetic resonance enterography (CTE/MRE). Hereon, we reviewed radiologic findings of vasculitis with gastrointestinal involvement on CTE and MRE. The variety of findings on MRE/CTE depend upon the size of the involved vessels. Signs of intestinal ischemia, e.g., mural thickening, submucosal edema, mural hyperenhancement, and restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging, are common in intestinal vasculitis. Involvement of the abdominal aorta and the major visceral arteries is presented as concentric mural thickening, transmural calcification, luminal stenosis, occlusion, aneurysmal changes, and collateral vessels. Such findings can be observed particularly in large- and medium-vessel vasculitis. The presence of extra-intestinal findings, including within the liver, kidneys, or spleen in the form of focal areas of infarction or heterogeneous enhancement due to microvascular involvement, can be another radiologic clue in diagnosis of vasculitis. The link between the clinical/laboratory findings and MRE/CTE abnormalities needs to be corresponded when it comes to the diagnosis of intestinal vasculitis.

Overview of the Large Bowel Assessment Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Different Techniques for Current and Emerging Clinical Applications

Radiological assessments of the small and large bowel are essential in daily clinical practice. Over plain film X-ray and ultrasound, cross-sectional techniques are considered the most comprehensive imaging modalities. In fact, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging take great advantage of the three-dimensional appraisal and the extensive evaluation of the abdominal cavity, allowing intestinal evaluation as well as detection of extra-intestinal findings. In this context, the chief advantage of computed tomography is the fast scan time, which is crucial for emergency cases. Nonetheless, it is undeniably impaired using ionizing radiation. As the awareness of radiation exposure is a topic of increasing importance, magnetic resonance imaging is not only becoming a mere alternative but also a primary imaging technique used in assessing intestinal diseases. Specifically, the evaluation of the large bowel through MRI can be still considered relatively uncharted territory. Although it has demonstrated superior accuracy in the assessment of some clinical entities from inflammatory bowel disease to rectal carcinoma, its role needs to be consolidated in many other conditions. Moreover, different technical methods can be applied for colonic evaluation depending on the specific disease and segment involved. This article aims to provide a thorough overview of the techniques that can be utilized in the evaluation of the large bowel and a discussion on the major findings in different colonic pathologies of primary interest.

Lupus Enteritis: An Uncommon Presentation of Lupus Flare

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but are usually attributable to medication side effects, infections, or other underlying conditions. In rare cases, they are caused by the autoimmune process itself. In this report, we present two cases of lupus enteritis as the sole manifestation of lupus flare. We also provide a comprehensive review of available literature on this topic with a specific focus on clinical symptoms, complications, laboratory findings, histology, imaging findings, and therapies. Lupus enteritis is an uncommon manifestation of SLE. CT scan of the abdomen is the diagnostic modality of choice. The three major CT findings are target sign, comb sign, and increased mesenteric fat attenuation. Ascites is also commonly present. Corticosteroids and second-line immunosuppressants have been successfully employed in the treatment of lupus enteritis. Our cases highlight this unusual manifestation as the only symptom of active SLE. A high index of suspicion should be maintained when evaluating SLE patients presenting with GI symptoms to prevent diagnosis and treatment delays that could lead to serious complications such as bowel necrosis, perforation, and even death.

Clinical features of lupus enteritis: a single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Lupus enteritis (LEn) is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Timely diagnosis and treatment of LEn are necessary to prevent the most serious consequences - intestinal perforation, gastrointestinal bleeding, and death. We compared the clinical features of SLE patients with and without LEn.

METHODS

The clinical data of LEn inpatients at Suining Central Hospital from July 2012 to June 2020 were examined. These LEn patients were matched (1:2 ratio) with concurrently hospitalized SLE patients who did not have LEn. The two groups were compared using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

We compared SLE inpatients with LEn (n = 43) and SLE inpatients without LEn (n = 86) at our institution. Multivariate logistic regression showed that ascites (odds ratio [OR]: 9.961, 95%CI: 2.215-44.802, P = 0.003), hydronephrosis (OR: 28.060, 95%CI: 2.303-341.962, P = 0.009), leukopenia (OR: 5.890, 95%CI: 1.813-19.135, P = 0.003), reduced complement C3 level (OR: 4.791, 95%CI: 1.605-14.300, P = 0.005), and elevated immunoglobin (Ig)A level (OR: 4.040, 95%CI: 1.307-12.487, P = 0.015) were independently associated with LEn. Within the LEn group, abdominal pain was the most common abdominal symptom (88.4%), and increased mesenteric fat attenuation (74.4%) and bowel wall thickening (58.1%) were the most common computed tomography (CT) findings. Most LEn patients (88.4%) required high-dose glucocorticoid therapy (≥ 80 mg methylprednisolone/day), and cyclophosphamide was the most commonly used immunosuppressant (62.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Abdominal pain was the most common clinical symptom of LEn. Abdominal CT provides important information for detection and diagnosis of LEn. Ascites, hydronephrosis, leukopenia, hypocomplementemia (C3), and increased IgA were independently associated with LEn.

Crohn's disease at radiological imaging: focus on techniques and intestinal tract

Over recent years, inflammatory bowel diseases have become an issue of increased attention in daily clinical practice, due to both a rising incidence and improved imaging capability in detection. In particular, the diagnosis of Crohn's disease is based on clinical picture, laboratory tests and colonoscopy with biopsy. However, colonoscopic evaluation is limited to the mucosal layer. Thus, imaging modalities play a pivotal role in enriching the clinical picture, delivering information on intestinal and extraintestinal involvement. All the imaging modalities can be employed in evaluation of Crohn's disease patients, each of them with specific strengths as well as limitations. In this wide selection, the choice of a proper diagnostic framework can be challenging for the clinician. Therefore, the aim of this work is to offer an overview of the different imaging techniques, with brief technical details and diagnostic potential related to each intestinal tract.

Fast Magnetic Resonance Enterography Protocol for the Evaluation of Patients with Crohn's Disease: A Pilot Study

Objective

Magnetic resonance enterography has achieved an increasingly importance in the evaluation of patients with Crohn's disease, although it is limited by high costs and prolonged scanning times. The aim of our work was to design a "fast" abbreviated MRE protocol and to compare it with the standard one.

Materials and Methods

A single-center retrospective study was performed on 73 patients with Crohn's disease who underwent MRE with standard protocol over a 7-month period. The images of the standard protocol were separated from those included in the proposed abbreviated one and independently evaluated by two radiologists with different years of experience in MRE imaging. Statistical analysis was performed with the Cohen kappa (κ) value, used to assess the agreement in case of categorical variables, the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plot, in assessing the degree of agreement between numerical measurements, while the non- parametric Mann-Whitney U-test was used in comparing the evaluation times of the two protocols.

Results

The intraobserver evaluation showed a perfect agreement between the two protocols for presence, number and extension of lesions, abdominal complications, and excellent/perfect in identification of active inflammation.The interobserver reproducibility was excellent for overall presence and number of lesions, for the presence and number of lesions in any abdominal quadrant, inflammation, intestinal and extraintestinal complications, and lesions extension.

Conclusion

The proposed protocol achieves comparable performance with standard MRE. Furthermore, it would carry potential benefits in terms of patient's comfort, time, and health-care costs savings.

MR enterography: what is next after Crohn's disease?

Within the gastrointestinal system, the small bowel represents the most difficult site to approach with imaging modalities. During the last decades, magnetic resonance enterography has reached an increasing interest, up to be considered an essential part in the diagnostic framework of Crohn's disease patients. Nevertheless, the distention of the intestinal loops provided by the administration of oral contrast medium, the possibility of a dynamic evaluation, and the lack of radiation exposure are huge advantages that can be exploited for the assessment of other clinical conditions affecting the small bowel. Physicians and radiologists should be aware of the possibilities offered by this technique, looking at it as a trustful alternative to the well-worn radiological examinations. In this respect, the purpose of this work is to show some uncommon clinical conditions that can be assessed with magnetic resonance enterography and that fall within the various differential diagnosis of the intestinal disorders.