Could nail and joint alterations make the difference between psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis during the ultrasonographic evaluation of the distal interphalangeal joints?

Ultrasonographic Insights into Peripheral Psoriatic Arthritis: Updates in Diagnosis and Monitoring

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis, characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestations and variable disease progression. Ultrasonography has emerged as a valuable tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of PsA, providing real-time visualization of joint and soft tissue abnormalities. This review highlights recent advancements in ultrasonographic techniques for the assessment of PsA, including the identification of typical features, the role of power Doppler imaging in detecting active inflammation, and the potential of ultrasound for guiding treatment decisions. Additionally, we discuss the utility of ultrasound in assessing treatment response and monitoring disease progression in patients with PsA, with a focus on novel imaging modalities. By elucidating the evolving role of ultrasonography in PsA management, this article aims to enhance clinicians' understanding of its utility in facilitating early diagnosis, optimizing treatment strategies, and improving patient outcomes.

The prevalence incidence of psoriatic onychodystrophy and the significance of its symptoms for the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis

Background. There is a need to assess the diagnostic significance of the symptoms of nail damage, as well as available effective methods for diagnosing psoriatic arthritis in the early stages. Aims. To study of the occurrence of symptoms of psoriatic onychodystrophy in patients with psoriatic arthritis and assessment of the diagnostic significance of the ultrasound method for diagnosing enthesitis as an early symptom of psoriatic arthritis among patients with onychodystrophy and without psoriatic arthritis in case history. Methods. It was a prospective clinical study based on the Clinic of Skin and Venereal Diseases of the Military Medical Academy. We made the clinical assessment of symptoms of onychodystrophy among patients with and without psoriatic arthritis and the evaluation of the diagnostic significance of the ultrasound method for diagnosing psoriatic arthritis under the control of magnetic resonance imaging of the joints. Results. 45 patients with psoriatic arthritis and 134 patients with psoriasis without arthritis were examined. Psoriatic onychodystrophy was significantly more common in the group of patients with psoriatic arthritis (p = 0.028). The most characteristic symptoms of onychodystrophy in patients with psoriatic arthritis are oil spots and symptom combinations: oil spots and subungual hyperkeratosis, onycholysis and subungual hyperkeratosis, pits and longitudinal ridges, oil spots and longitudinal ridges. The ultrasound method for the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis has shown its high diagnostic significance (Se = 81.8%, Sp = 88.0%). The most characteristic symptoms of arthritis on ultrasound examination are hypoechoic structures of the Achilles tendons and the presence of fluid in the peri- and retro-Achilles bursa. Conclusions. The symptom of oil spots and combinations of oil spots with subungual hyperkeratosis, onycholysis with subungual hyperkeratosis, pits with longitudinal ridges and oil spots with longitudinal ridges can be considered diagnostically significant in the examination of early psoriatic arthritis, and the ultrasound method is highly effective in diagnosing early manifestations of arthritis.

Nail ultrasonography for psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis patients: a systematic literature review

To systematically review the role of ultrasound (US) in the assessment of the joint-enthesial-nail apparatus in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or psoriasis (PSO) in terms of prevalence, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and treatment. A systematic literature review was conducted through medical databases (PubMed, Embase) and the grey literature up to February 2018. The main areas of application of nail US were first identified, allowing the development of research questions, which were rephrased following the PICOs methodology to develop inclusion criteria. Of the 585 studies produced by PubMed and Embase searches, 17 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Five additional studies were included: 1 from the hand search and 4 from the 2016-2017 ACR and EULAR congresses. The prevalence of nail plate changes varied from < 10 to 97%, for power Doppler signal from 20-30 to 96% and distal interphalangeal joint (DIJ) involvement from 8.9 to 100%. The performance of US nail/DIJ abnormalities in the diagnosis of PsA and PSO elementary lesions was analysed by five studies, with a wide heterogeneity. Reproducibility and reliability of US nil/DIJ were assessed by interclass correlation coefficient or Cohen's k and their values ranged from 0.6 to 0.9. The value of US nail/DIJ in the monitoring of the lesions was analysed only by a single study. The analysis revealed applications for US nail/DIJ in PsA and PSO and highlights limitations. Validation is strongly needed to demonstrate its appropriateness in the clinical practice and to define its diagnostic and prognostic role.