Coronary Artery Wall Contrast Enhancement Imaging Impact on Disease Activity Assessment in IgG4-RD a direct marker of coronary involvement

Motivation: The coronary wall involvement in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is overlooked in conventional imaging, more sensitive approach is needed. Goal(s): To investigate the feasibility of quantifying contrast enhancement (CE) to detect coronary involvement in IgG4-RD and the influence on disease activity assessment based on the IgG4-RD Responder Index (RI). Approach: The coronary artery wall images of the IgG4-RD, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and healthy subjects were analyzed and IgG4-RD-RI scores were collected for correlations analysis. Results: Coronary artery wall CE can be a direct marker of coronary artery injury and may improve disease activity assessment in IgG4-RD. Impact: Coronary artery wall CE can serve as an objective indicator of disease activity. Considering coronary artery wall CE in the IgG4-RD-RI scoring has the potential to enhance the comprehensiveness of disease activity assessment and enable more appropriate treatment decisions.