Brain scan diagnosis of central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Twenty-five patients with 29 episodes of active systemic lupus erythematosus with central nervous system involvement were studied according to a uniform protocol. Brain scans were found to be abnormal in all patients studied, and electroencephalograms were abnormal in 20/25 patients. Serial brain scanning was found to be useful in the diagnosis of exacerbations and the monitoring of corticosteroid dosage.