Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are at considerable risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension, which has a dramatic impact on the natural history of the disease and overall survival of the patient. Modern imaging modalities, such as novel echocardiographic techniques and cardiac MRI, are highly sensitive, quantitative and reproducible methods that allow noninvasive assessment of regional and global myocardial performance without relying on geometric assumptions. In this Review, the authors describe the standard clinical tests and evolving technologies, which can provide comprehensive and quantitative data on myocardial status that are useful in the clinical management and evaluation of patients with SSc.
- Theodoros Dimitroulas
- Sophie Mavrogeni
- George D. Kitas
