Brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Scan (SPECT) and Functional MRI in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients with Cognitive Dysfunction: A Systematic Review

• Main Authors: Maryam Sahebari, Zahra Rezaieyazdi, Mandana Khodashahi, Bita Abbasi, Fazlollah Ayatollahi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mashhad University of Medical Sciences 2018-06-01
• Series: Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology
• Subjects: Systemic lupus erythematosus; SPECT; functional magnetic resonance imaging; cognitive dysfunction
• Online Access: http://aojnmb.mums.ac.ir/article_10478_07165e45fffa37326206b9efbaa350b1.pdf

Objective(s): Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune diseasewith a wide range of clinical manifestations. Cognitive dysfunction is one of themanifestations that could present prior to the emergence of any other neuropsychiatricinvolvements in SLE. Cognitive dysfunction is a subtle condition occurring with ahigh frequency. However, there is no data on the correlation of cognitive dysfunctionwith central nervous system (CNS) imaging findings, in particular single-photonemission computed tomography scan (SPECT) and functional MRI. We decided toperform a systematic review of brain SPECT and fMRI in SLE patients with cognitivedysfunction.Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched untilApril 2017 with the following keywords: “SLE OR systemic lupus erythematousOR lupus” AND “functional MRI OR functional magnetic resonance imaging ORfMRI OR SPECT or SCAN”. A total of 1,767articles were found. Two rheumatologistsreviewed the articles and finally 14 articles were selected for the final systematicreview.Results: The fMRI and SPECT imaging techniques could provide valuable informationregarding the SLE patients with cognitive dysfunction at the early stages of thedisease.Conclusion: Brain SPECT scan and fMRI are used as functional imaging tools inSLE. Both of these diagnostic modalities are sensitive in reflecting the subtle braindamages in SLE patients with cognitive dysfunction. Brain fMRI and SPECT scancould be significantly beneficial in the diagnosis and initial management of cognitivedysfunction in SLE. Nevertheless, prospective studies could be useful in confirmingthe application of these diagnostic modalities in the clinical setting.