Fascial Signal Change on the Cervical MRI of a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

• Published in: Diagnostics (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 10
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyun-Je, Lee, Dong Gyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.12.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Arthritis; Autoimmune diseases; Blood; Conflicts of interest; Connective tissue; Edema; fat suppression view; Inflammation; Interesting Images; Lupus; Medical imaging; Neck pain; Pathology; PET-CT; Review boards; Rheumatism; Rheumatology; systemic inflammation; systemic lupus erythematosus; systemic inflammation; PET-CT; systemic lupus erythematosus; fat suppression view
• ISSN: 2075-4418; 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14010010

Here, we present a case of a 53-year-old female patient with chronic neck pain and systemic inflammation who was ultimately diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. Notably, applying fat-suppressed T2-weighted MRI sequences was pivotal in detecting structural fascial changes commonly associated with systemic inflammatory diseases. PET-CT scans further revealed systemic inflammation around multiple joints, providing valuable insights into MRI signal alterations. This case underscores the importance of considering systemic autoimmune pathology as a potential underlying cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain. It also highlights the clinical utility of MRI with fat suppression sequences in identifying inflammation-related fascial changes. This case emphasizes the significance of a comprehensive evaluation, particularly in situations where clinical features overlap between autoimmune and degenerative skeletal pathologies. Fat-suppressed MRI can provide information about fascial pathology related to systemic inflammatory diseases. In this context, it is worth noting that PET-CT and fat suppression MRI complement each other by providing complementary information about inflammation and the underlying causes of a patient's pain.