Ultrasound in psoriatic arthritis. Can it facilitate a best routine practice in the diagnosis and management of psoriatic arthritis?

Abstract

Important advances from both therapeutic and clinical assessment have recently been reported in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Moreover, the constant challenge to provide a more comprehensive assessment of this heterogeneous disease results in a variety of clinical instruments that help the clinician for a global evaluation of both disease activity and responsiveness. The current European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations on the use of imaging suggest the use of ultrasound (US) in chronic arthritis to increase the diagnostic accuracy and improvement of its management as compared to clinical examination alone. Although US findings are not firmly established in daily clinical practice, it demonstrated several positive aspects such as good sensitivity and specificity, acceptable reliability, and adequate sensitivity to change, especially in the peripheral PsA. Additionally, recent works introduced the role of US in the assessment of skin and nails opening interesting area of research. The aim of this paper is to describe the potential role of US in the assessment of PsA and to discuss the current evidence supporting its application in daily clinical practice.

Keywords: Enthesitis; Onychopathy; Psoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis; Synovitis; Tenosynovitis; Ultrasound.