Conventional ultrasonography and sonoelastography in the assessment of plaque psoriasis under topical corticosteroid treatment - work in progress

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Skin Toxicity Following Radiotherapy of Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

The present review aimed to systematically review skin toxicity changes following breast cancer radiotherapy (RT) using ultrasound (US). PubMed and Scopus databases were searched according to PRISMA guidelines. The characteristics of the selected studies, measured parameters, US skin findings, and their association with clinical assessments were extracted. Seventeen studies were included with a median sample size of 29 (range 11-166). There were significant US skin changes in the irradiated skin compared to the nonirradiated skin or baseline measurements. The most observed change is skin thickening secondary to radiation-induced oedema, except one study found skin thinning after pure postmastectomy RT. However, eight studies reported skin thickening predated RT attributed to axillary surgery. Four studies used US radiofrequency (RF) signals and found a decrease in the hypodermis's Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). Three studies reported decreased dermal echogenicity and poor visibility of the dermis-subcutaneous fat boundary (statistically analysed by one report). The present review revealed significant ultrasonographic skin toxicity changes in the irradiated skin most commonly skin thickening. However, further studies with large cohorts, appropriate US protocol, and baseline evaluation are needed. Measuring other US skin parameters and statistically evaluating the degree of the association with clinical assessments are also encouraged.

The EFSUMB Guidelines and Recommendations for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound - Part I: Extraarticular Pathologies

The first part of the guidelines and recommendations for musculoskeletal ultrasound, produced under the auspices of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB), provides information about the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for assessing extraarticular structures (muscles, tendons, entheses, ligaments, bones, bursae, fasciae, nerves, skin, subcutaneous tissues, and nails) and their pathologies. Clinical applications, practical points, limitations, and artifacts are described and discussed for every structure. After an extensive literature review, the recommendations have been developed according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine and GRADE criteria and the consensus level was established through a Delphi process. The document is intended to guide clinical users in their daily practice.

Recommendations for Management of Childhood Psoriasis

Childhood psoriasis is recognized as a potential multisystem disorder and hence it is imperative to optimize disease management to arrest progression, minimize psychological burden and evolution of metabolic syndrome. Clinical practice recommendations are necessary to assist practitioners in appropriate decision making based on available evidence. Owing to the lack of Indian recommendations on childhood psoriasis, the SIG Pediatric Dermatology under IADVL Academy undertook an evidence-based approach based on published literature on the topic, between January 2000 and July 2020 to frame the recommendations.

Feasibility of Using Elastography Ultrasound in Pediatric Localized Scleroderma (Morphea)

Assessment and monitoring of inflammation and tissue damage is crucial in localized scleroderma (LS), but validated diagnostic tools are lacking. We aimed to determine the feasibility of using acoustic radiation force imaging ultrasound elastography in the assessment of pediatric-onset LS lesions. Conventional ultrasound and shear-wave elastography (SWE) imaging were used to characterize changes in pre-assigned LS lesions in 13 prospectively recruited participants. Contralateral sites were used as controls. Mean SWE values were compared. LS lesions were significantly stiffer than control sites in the dermis and the hypodermis using both parametric and non-parametric tests, before and after skin-thickness normalization. We show that SWE imaging is a feasible way to discriminate between normal skin and LS lesions in the pediatric population.

Shear wave elastography and microvascular ultrasound in response evaluation to calcipotriol+betamethasone foam in plaque psoriasis

Psoriasis (PsO) is a chronic skin disease. This study aims to evaluate clinical and subclinical response to calcipotriol+betamethasone foam, in patients with PsO, comparing, for the first time, data from microvascular ultrasound (MicroV) and shear wave elastography (SWE) with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).

METHODS

Between November 2018 and April 2019 in Tor Vergata Hospital (Roma, Italy), we enrolled 26 patients with PsO who were ageds 20-75 years, with PASI score ≥4, candidated for calcipotriol+betamethasone foam treatment. They underwent MicroV and SWE evaluation at baseline (T₀) and after 4 weeks of treatment (T₄). Clinical follow-up was carried on at T₄, T₈ and T₁₂. Student's t-test (p values<0.05 statistically significant) was used to compare SWE and PASI values.

RESULTS

At T₀, SWE stiffness values of target plaques (61.5% on elbows, 23% knees, 7.7% sacrum,7.7% legs) were significantly higher than values under healthy skin. At T₄, all patients showed a significant reduction of PASI; MicroV showed reduction in vascularisation of responsive plaques in 85% of cases, only in 15%, the vascularisation degree remained stable; and SWE values of target plaques were significantly lower compared with T₀. Only in 7.7%, there was a relapse at T₁₂.

CONCLUSIONS

Calcipotriol+betamethasone foam is a very effective topical treatment in a short-medium term follow-up in patients with PsO. MicroV and SWE evaluate response to treatment (in term of plaque vascularisation and stiffness), so they could represent promising early indicators of therapeutic response and help the physician to establish a better clinical-therapeutic management of patients with PsO.

High-frequency ultrasonography of psoriatic skin: A non-invasive technique in the evaluation of the entire skin of patients with psoriasis: A pilot study

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disorder which accelerates the life process of skin cells, based on a genetically induced deviant immune response. High-frequency ultrasonography (HF-USG) is a painless, non-invasive imaging technique that can be performed and repeated whenever the need arises. We evaluated lesional and non-lesional skin of psoriatic patients with the use of HF-USG, focusing on the immune-induced inflammation and skin thickness. Previous studies suggested that HF-USG, being a non-invasive technique, is useful as an aid to clinical evaluation of the severity of psoriatic plaques. Our goal was to determine whether the skin of psoriatic patients is influenced by the background or habits of the patients. The study included a total of 27 patients affected by psoriasis vulgaris. The thickness of the epidermis and dermis and the skin echogenicity were documented for the active plaques, as well as for the non-affected skin of all the patients included in the study, using a high-frequency ultrasonographic system. The patient's local background, sex, family history of psoriasis, smoking habits and sun exposure were analyzed. HF-USG of the psoriatic plaques exposes a three-band structure that is easily distinguished from the surrounding unaffected skin, due to a hypoechoic band in the upper dermis. Although not specific for psoriasis, it is a strong marker of inflammation. The obtained results confirm that, indeed, skin thickness is greater in lesional skin compared to non-lesional skin, by a mean of 1,180 µm (±340 µm). We consider that skin HF-USG should be used as a quantitative method in the clinical evaluation of the patients with psoriasis and may help as an objective means of assessing inflammation in lesional skin.

Diagnostic role of ultrasound elastography for nail bed involvement in psoriasis

OBJECTIVE

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the skin, joints, and nails. To investigate the efficacy of sonoelastographic evaluation for assessing nail involvement and severity in psoriasis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-one psoriasis patients and 31 healthy control subjects were included in the study. The nail thickness and nail bed thickness of the thumbs of all cases were measured by gray scale ultrasonography. In addition, the values of strain elastography were measured by sonoelastography.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 38 were male and 24 were female; the ratio of males and females was equal in both groups. There was no significant difference between the patient and control group in terms of gender and age. In the patient group, the mean duration of illness was 13.87 ± 9.8 years, mean PASI score was 5.53 ± 2.38, and mean NAPSI score was 33.97 ± 37.99. The nail plate thickness and elastography strain ratios were found to be statistically higher in the psoriasis group compared to the control group. There was also significant correlation between elastography strain ratios and nail thickness (P = .014), nail bed thickness (P < .001) and NAPSI scores (P = .01).

CONCLUSION

Due to the superiority of ultrasound in real-time imaging of the nail structure and the compatibility of sonographic elastography with clinical scores in the assessment of the nail bed, we believe that it can be used as a complementary method.

Imaging techniques in the diagnosis and monitoring of psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease, which has a multifactorial etiopathogenesis. Practical non-invasive techniques to monitor plaque psoriasis progression and treatment are necessary. Imaging techniques available for psoriasis assessment may vary in terms of resolution, depth of penetration and visual representation. This review summarizes the current developments in the field of psoriasis non-invasive imaging techniques, such as dermoscopy, conventional ultrasound and high frequency ultrasonography (HFUS), videocapillaroscopy (VC), reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), optical microangiography (OMAG), laser Doppler imaging (LDI), multiphoton tomography (MPT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The aim was to collect and analyze data concerning types, indications, advantages and disadvantages of modern imaging techniques for in vivo psoriasis assessment. We focused on two main methods, videodermoscopy and HFUS, which can be included in daily dermatologists' practice and which may assist in establishing diagnosis, as well as monitoring response to topical and/or systemic therapy of psoriasis. Dermoscopy may be useful for a first evaluation and may offer an understanding of the type and distribution of blood vessels, as well as the color of the scale and the background of the lesion. Videodermoscopy allows magnification and offers a detailed evaluation of the vessel type. The utility of HFUS consists mainly in monitoring therapy response. These methods may be comparable with virtual histopathology.

New applications of sonoelastography in rheumatology: where are we now?

Ultrasound elastography (UE) is a non-invasive imaging method that allows the assessment of tissue elastic property. Different UE techniques are currently available (i.e. strain UE and acoustic radiation force impulse UE), with several potential clinical applications. Recent studies investigated the role of UE in two systemic rheumatic diseases and psoriasis. This research added interesting information to the already known applications of UE in the assessment of tendinopathies. In SS, acoustic radiation force impulse UE has shown a potential role in the diagnosis of the disease, with lower sensitivity than and similar specificity to salivary gland histology. In SSc, a potential use of UE in screening pre-clinical disease has been reported. In psoriasis, the use of strain UE in evaluating treatment response has been highlighted. UE is a promising tool in rheumatology, with a potential role in the evaluation of various tissues and pathologies.

Ultrasonographic elastography in the evaluation of normal and pathological skin - a review

The aim of this review article is to discuss the role of ultrasonographic elastography, a technique used to quantify tissue stiffness, in the evaluation of normal and pathological skin. A growing body of evidence suggests that elastography may be used for the diagnosis and monitoring of skin pathologies, in particular tumors, and fibrotic and sclerotic processes. Our knowledge about the elastographic parameters of normal skin is sparse, which together with the lack of reference values for cutaneous stiffness constitutes a serious limitation to the use of elastography in some medical disciplines, including aesthetic medicine.

Ultrasound and Infrared-Based Imaging Modalities for Diagnosis and Management of Cutaneous Diseases

Non-invasive bedside imaging tools are becoming more prevalent for assessing cutaneous lesions. Ultrasound used at specific frequencies allows us to assess margins of lesions to minimize the extent of the biopsy that is performed and improve cosmetic outcomes. Vascularity, seen on Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and stiffness, assessed on tissue elastography, can help differentiate between benign and malignant lesions for clinicians to be more judicious in deciding whether to biopsy. Moreover, research has shown the efficacy in using ultrasound in monitoring flares of hidradenitis suppurativa, a disease affecting apocrine gland-rich areas of the body, for which the current gold standard involves examining and scoring inflammatory lesions with the naked eye. Infrared-based modalities have also been on the uptrend to aid in clinical decision-making regarding suspiciousness of lesions. Reflectance confocal microscopy has lateral resolution that is comparable to histopathology and it has been shown to be an appropriate adjunctive tool to dermoscopy, specifically when evaluating melanomas. Optical coherence tomography has utility in determining lesion thickness because of its depth penetration, and spectrophotometric intracutaneous analysis is becoming more popular as a tool that can be used by general practitioners to know when to refer to dermatology regarding worrisome pigmented lesions. Strides have been made to incorporate electrical impedance spectroscopy alongside dermoscopy in decision-making regarding excision, although the evidence for its use in the clincial setting remains inconclusive. This paper reviews the efficacy and drawbacks of these techniques in the field of dermatology and suggests future directions.

Hypodermal Adipose Tissue Sonoelastography for Monitoring Treatment Response in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis (PsO) is a multifactorial chronic and relapsing skin disease that affects about 125 million people in the world. Several studies have demonstrated the link between adipose tissue, inflammation, and PsO. The purpose of our study is to evaluate hypodermal adipose tissue inflammation underneath PsO plaques quantifying tissue elasticity with sonoelastography before and after treatment. The study was conducted at the Department of Dermatology of the University of "Rome Tor Vergata" and Department of Radiology of the University of "Rome Tor Vergata."

METHODS

We enrolled 60 patients with plaque PsO and a PASI score of ≥5 divided in three groups of treatment: biologic drugs therapy (Group A), systemic therapy with DMARDS (Group B), and topic therapy (Group C). Each Patient underwent sonoelastography examination (TE: transient elastography) at baseline (T0) and after 1 month (T1) of treatment. The region of interest (ROI) 5 × 5 mm area and the strain ratio was obtained dividing muscular elasticity (referral tissue) by hypodermal elasticity.

RESULTS

The difference between T0 and T1 was referred as Δ strain. Sonoelastography is able to identify hypodermal adipose tissue involvement in plaque PsO and on the basis of our experience it could represent a valid method to assess early therapy response in patient with plaque PsO.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report regarding the use of sonoelastography in psoriatic patients. Sonoelastography is easy to use, rapid, and is a portable technique that does not use ionizing radiation. The result showed the mean lesional strain ratio significantly higher than the nonlesional one at baseline examination. In the future, the role of ultrasound sonoelastography is likely to be complementary to conventional imaging techniques in providing an additional tool.

Comparison of Occlusive and Open Application in a Psoriasis Plaque Test Design, Exemplarily Using Investigations of Mapracorat 0.1% Ointment versus Vehicle and Reference Drugs

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Psoriasis plaque tests (PPTs) are important tools in the early phases of antipsoriatic drug development. Two distinct PPT design variants (open vs. occluded drug application) are commonly used, but no previous work has aimed to directly compare and contrast their performance.

METHODS

We compared the antipsoriatic efficacy of mapracorat 0.1% ointment and reference drugs reported in 2 separate studies, representing open and occluded PPT designs. The drug effect size was measured by sonography (mean change in echo-poor band thickness), chromametry, and standardized clinical assessment.

RESULTS

Antipsoriatic effects were detectable for the study drugs in both occluded and open PPTs. Differences between the potency of antipsoriatic drugs and vehicle were observable. The total antipsoriatic effect size appeared to be higher in the occluded PPT than the open PPT, despite the shorter treatment duration (2 vs. 4 weeks). Effect dynamics over time revealed greater differences between some study drugs in the open PPT compared to the occluded PPT.

CONCLUSION

Taking the higher technical challenges for the open PPT into account, we recommend the occluded PPT as a standard screening setting in early drug development. In special cases, considering certain drug aspects or study objectives that would require procedural adaptations, an open PPT could be the better-suited design. Finally, both PPT models show clear advantages: classification as phase I studies, small number of psoriatic subjects, relatively short study duration, excellent discrimination between compounds and concentrations, parallel measurement of treatment response, and go/no go decisions very early in clinical development.