Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Detects Myocardial Inflammation in Giant Cell Arteritis
Sophie I Mavrogeni1,2, Athanasios Koutroumpas3
1Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) can affect the heart, causing myocardial inflammation and reduced heart function. Treatment with sacubitril/valsartan alongside anti-rheumatic drugs improved cardiac function and inflammation in a GCA patient.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rheumatology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis.
- Cardiac involvement in GCA can lead to significant morbidity.
- Myocardial inflammation and reduced biventricular function are potential cardiac manifestations of GCA.
Observation:
- A patient with diagnosed GCA presented with myocardial inflammation.
- Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) was utilized for diagnosis.
- Reduced biventricular ejection fraction was noted on initial CMR.
Findings:
- The patient received treatment with sacubitril/valsartan concurrently with anti-rheumatic medications.
- Post-treatment CMR demonstrated improvement in biventricular function.
- Myocardial inflammation resolved following the combined therapeutic approach.
Implications:
- Sacubitril/valsartan may be a beneficial therapeutic option for cardiac involvement in GCA.
- CMR is a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring cardiac manifestations of GCA.
- Early diagnosis and treatment can lead to improved cardiac outcomes in GCA patients.
Abstract:
We describe a patient with GCA and cardiac involvement, presented as myocardial inflammation with reduced biventricular ejection fraction and diagnosed using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). She was treated successfully with sacubitril/valsartan in parallel with anti-rheumatic medication and the post-treatment CMR showed improvement of biventricular function and disappearance of myocardial inflammation.
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