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Lepri G, Hughes M, Allanore Y, Denton CP, Furst DE, Wang Y, Santiago T, Galetti I, Del Galdo F, Khanna D, Matucci-Cerinic M. The role of skin ultrasound in systemic sclerosis: looking below the surface to understand disease evolution. THE LANCET. RHEUMATOLOGY 2023; 5:e422-e425. [PMID: 38251553 DOI: 10.1016/s2665-9913(23)00100-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Skin ultrasound has shown promising results in the evaluation of skin involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis, as substantiated by a recent systematic literature review from the World Scleroderma Foundation Skin Ultrasound Working Group. In this Viewpoint, we will discuss the role of ultrasound in evaluating skin involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis, particularly the possibility of using this technique to detect an early subclinical skin involvement from the very early phase, suggesting its possible use in both diagnosis and disease follow-up. To detect subclinical skin involvement, it is essential to understand the difference between the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis and that of healthy controls, including defining exactly which structures are affected by the disease and which are spared. The potential of this non-invasive technique might suggest its future role in both clinical practice and clinical trials, possibly replacing invasive and painful procedures such as skin biopsies and promoting patient retention in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Lepri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Division of Rheumatology, AOU Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Michael Hughes
- Department of Rheumatology, Salford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK; Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester & Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Yannick Allanore
- Department of Rheumatology, University of Paris, Cochin Hospital, INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Christopher P Denton
- Centre for Rheumatology, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel E Furst
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Division of Rheumatology, AOU Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Yukai Wang
- Rheumatology and Immunology Department, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China
| | - Tânia Santiago
- Rheumatology Department, Hospital and University Centre of Coimbra EPE; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ilaria Galetti
- Federation of European Scleroderma Associations, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Del Galdo
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Marco Matucci-Cerinic
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Division of Rheumatology, AOU Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases, IRCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
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Vonk MC, Assassi S, Hoffmann-Vold AM. Scleroderma Skin: How Is Treatment Best Guided by Data and Implemented in Clinical Practice? Rheum Dis Clin North Am 2023; 49:249-262. [PMID: 37028833 DOI: 10.1016/j.rdc.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
As skin involvement is the hall mark of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and changes of skin involvement have shown to correlate with internal organ involvement, assessing the extend of skin involvement is key. Although the modified Rodnan skin score is a validated tool used to evaluate the skin in SSc, it has its drawbacks. Novel imagine methods are promising but should be further evaluated. As for molecule markers for skin progression there are conflicting data on the predictive significance of baseline SSc skin gene expression profiles, but immune cell type signature in SSc skin correlates with progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelon C Vonk
- Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Huispost 667, PO Box 9101, Nijmegen 6500HB, the Netherlands.
| | - Shervin Assassi
- Division of Rheumatology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anna-Maria Hoffmann-Vold
- Department of Rheumatology, Oslo University Hospital - Rikshospitalet, Pb 4950, Nydalen, Oslo 0424, Norway
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Santiago T, Santos EJF, Luis M, Gaspar C, Lima J, Caramelo F, da Silva JAP. Normal percentile reference curves for skin ultrasound thickness and stiffness at Rodnan sites. RMD Open 2022; 8:e002577. [PMID: 36323485 PMCID: PMC9639157 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to establish preliminary normal reference curves for ultrasound-dermal thickness and skin stiffness in the 17 Rodnan skin sites, considering the effect of gender and age on these measures. As an exploratory objective, we investigated the effect of body mass index and the menopause on skin ultrasound measures. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 140 healthy volunteers, aged 20-79 years. Recruitment was stratified by gender and age (10-year categories). Ultrasound-dermal thickness and skin stiffness were assessed by high-frequency ultrasound and shear-wave elastography, respectively, at the 17 Rodnan skin sites. Outcomes were evaluated through a mixed linear model, univariate and multivariate regressions. Normal reference curves were derived for both ultrasound measures in each skin site. An online calculator of the percentiles of skin ultrasound measures was developed. RESULTS Ultrasound-dermal thickness and stiffness measures were higher in men than women in all Rodnan skin sites (except in chest for ultrasound-dermal thickness). Age had also a significant impact in both ultrasound measures, but only in some skin sites. Gender and age percentile curves (97.5th, 95th, 75th, 50th, 25th, 5th, 2.5th) were plotted for each of the measures in each skin site. CONCLUSIONS Gender and age are strongly associated with skin ultrasound parameters, imposing the need for gender-specific and age-specific reference values. Normal reference percentile curves are provided as a basis for future cooperative work to strengthen its evidence basis, representativeness and refinement regarding potentially influential factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Santiago
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Mariana Luis
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Catarina Gaspar
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Lima
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Jose Antonio Pereira da Silva
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Rheumatology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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