INTRODUCTION:
Lupus cerebritis, a rare neuropsychiatric manifestation of SLE, presents with symptoms like cognitive impairment, seizures, and psychosis, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. It can also cause headaches, anxiety, depression, and pseudodementia. Up to 40% of adult NPSLE symptoms appear before or at the time of SLE diagnosis, and 60% within a year after diagnosis. The etiology is complex, involving infections, drug use, brain abnormalities, and metabolic dysfunction. Early SLE workup and a multidisciplinary approach improve patient outcomes
MRI is a sensitive noninvasive test for neuroimmunological conditions but is not definitive for specific inflammatory CNS disorders. Despite lacking specificity in distinguishing between vascular and parenchymal inflammation, MRI helps in identifying cerebral brain artery diseases. Recent research suggests MRI can detect vessel wall inflammation in vasculitis, aiding in categorizing imaging signs into indirect indicators like cerebral perfusion deficits and direct indicators such as vessel wall thickening and enhancement.
AIM:
The aim of this work was to study the different cerebral findings of brain MRI in patients with systemic lupus erythematosis.