PMID: 29998836Jul 13, 2018Paper

Quantification of skin stiffness in patients with systemic sclerosis using real-time shear wave elastography: a preliminary study

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
Yu-Jia YangLv Xiaoyan

Abstract

To assess the diagnostic value of shear wave elastography (SWE) quantification in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and healthy controls. Skin elastic modulus (E) values and thicknesses were measured at 6 skin sites between the SSc (n=37) and control (n=37) groups. Thickness and E values were converted into T- and E-scores, to allow skin thickness and stiffness of different regions to be quantified based on a single standard. T- and E-scores were compared with the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). E values were significantly higher in SSc patients than healthy controls at all measured sites (p<0.001), whereas skin thickness increased significantly only at fingers and forearms (p<0.001). E-score analysis revealed mRSS differences within 1.0 at most sites, while T- score evaluation only showed differences between mRSS 0 and mRSS 1 at fingers. Interestingly, mRSS correlated more closely with skin stiffness (r=0.889, p<0.001) than skin thickness (r=0.465, p=0.002). In patients with SSc, SWE is more sensitive to detect subtle skin changes than B-mode ultrasound (US), and reflect the degree of skin involvement. As a non-invasive and operator-independent technique, SWE may provide a new and valuable method to evaluate the degree...Continue Reading

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