The pulmonary blood density in newly diagnosed systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Methods Thirty-nine SSc patients (25 women and 14 men, 31-81 years, mean 58 years) and healthy individuals (five women and 13 men, 20-46 years, mean 27) underwent cardiac MRI. PBV was calculated as the product of cardiac output determined by velocity encoded MRI, and the pulmonary transit time (PTT) determined as the time for a 2 ml intravenously administered contrast bolus to pass from the pulmonary trunk to the left atrium. The lung volume was determined by planimetry using transversal MR images covering the lungs. The PBD was defined as the PBV divided by the lung volume. Also, the blood flow in the pulmonary artery and the pulmonary veins was measured using velocity encoded MRI. The PBVV was calculated by integration of the difference in arterial and venous pulmonary flow over the cardiac. PBV and PBD were measured in eight healthy individuals (two women and six men, 20-46 years, mean 31 years). In 10 healthy volunteers (three women and 7 men, 21-30 years, mean 24 years), the PBVV was assessed. The SSc patients were then compared to the healthy subjects considering PBV and PBD, and PBVV, respectively.