Coronary artery abnormalities in CREST syndrome revealed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

CREST syndrome represents a subset of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Five patients with CREST syndrome and 5 with SSc without cardiac symptoms and with normal routine cardiac examination were investigated by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. All CREST patients had ectatic coronary arteries, and in 1 of them, an inferior, transmural myocardial infarction was identified. Furthermore, patchy fibrosis was identified in all the patients with SSc, although their coronary arteries were normal. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance can be a useful, noninvasive diagnostic tool in the evaluation of asymptomatic CREST and SSc patients.