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Published in:

01-08-2015 | Review

Imaging of systemic vasculitis in childhood

Authors: Magdy Soliman, Ronald Laxer, David Manson, Rae Yeung, Andrea S. Doria

Published in: Pediatric Radiology | Issue 8/2015

Abstract

The term “systemic vasculitis” encompasses a diverse set of diseases linked by the presence of blood-vessel inflammation that are often associated with critical complications. These diseases are uncommon in childhood and are frequently subjected to a delayed diagnosis. Although the diagnosis and treatment may be similar for adult and childhood systemic vasculitides, the prevalence and classification vary according to the age group under investigation. For example, Kawasaki disease affects children while it is rarely encountered in adults. In 2006, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) proposed a classification system for childhood vasculitis adopting the system devised in the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference in 1993, which categorizes vasculitides according to the predominant size of the involved blood vessels into small, medium and large vessel diseases. Currently, medical imaging has a pivotal role in the diagnosis of vasculitis given recent developments in the imaging of blood vessels. For example, early diagnosis of coronary artery aneurysms, a serious complication of Kawasaki disease, is now possible by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT); positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) helps to assess active vascular inflammation in Takayasu arteritis. Our review offers a unique approach using the integration of the proposed classification criteria for common systemic childhood vasculitides with their most frequent imaging findings, along with differential diagnoses and an algorithm for diagnosis based on common findings. It should help radiologists and clinicians reach an early diagnosis, therefore facilitating the ultimate goal of proper management of affected children.

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Title: Imaging of systemic vasculitis in childhood
Authors: Magdy Soliman
Ronald Laxer
David Manson
Rae Yeung
Andrea S. Doria
Publication date: 01-08-2015
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Pediatric Radiology / Issue 8/2015
Print ISSN: 0301-0449
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1998
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-015-3339-3

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Imaging of systemic vasculitis in childhood

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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