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. 2022 Sep;25(3):635-643.
doi: 10.1007/s40477-021-00637-0. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Role of shear wave elastography ultrasound in patients with systemic sclerosis

Panaya Tumsatan  1 , Meenut Uscharapong  2 , Jiraporn Srinakarin  2 , Ratanavadee Nanagara  3 , Watcharee Khunkitti  4
Affiliations

Role of shear wave elastography ultrasound in patients with systemic sclerosis

Panaya Tumsatan et al. J Ultrasound. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: A study of shear wave elastography (SWE) for evaluation of skin stiffness in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. The purpose of this study was to measure the skin stiffness and thickness in patients with scleroderma using shear wave elastography.

Methods: Prospective data collections of skin stiffness and thickness using SWE in SSc and control groups.

Results: Skin stiffness and thickness were done in 29 patients with SSc and a 29 control population using SWE on bilateral forearms. The SSc patients had thicker skin and higher stiffnesses than the control group. The mean of skin thickness and stiffness using SWE of SSc are 1.74 mm and 47.32 kPa while normal subjects were 1.5 mm and 19.5 kPa. Mean differences were 0.023 mm (95% CI 0.15-0.3, p < 0.001) and 27.82 kPa (95% CI 22.63-33.01, p < 0.001). The dorsal forearms tend to have a higher SWE than the volar forearms in SSc. No statistically significant differences between gender, age or dominancy of skin stiffness were found. SWE has a good correlation with clinical manual palpation of forearms (mRSS) with Spearman rho's of 0.550 (p = 0.002) and 0.508 (p = 0.005) of dominant and non-dominant forearms.

Conclusion: The application of SWE can be used for evaluation of skin involvement in scleroderma patients with good correlations with the mRSS that was used in the current patients. Furthermore, SWE is a safe technique for either diagnosis or follow up.

Keywords: Scleroderma; Shear wave elastography (SWE); Skin stiffness; Skin thickness; Systemic sclerosis (SSc); Ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Shear wave elastography were performed at the mid-part of dorsal (A) and volar aspects (B) of bilateral forearms
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Gel pack absorber pad
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A. Skin thickness measurement B. SWE measurement
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Skin thickness measurement. A A 57-year-old female SSc patient, the ventral aspect of dominant forearm which is 2.9 mm of skin thickness. B A 62-year-old woman from control group on ventral aspect of dominant forearm which is 1.2 mm of skin thickness
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Shear wave elastography. A A 47-year-old female SSc patient on the dorsal aspect of the non-dominant forearm that shows markedly increased skin stiffness in the color box and the Q-box that shows a 124.4 kPa. B A 38-year-old female from the control group on the dorsal aspect of the dominant forearm; homogeneous blue color box is shown and measured about 22 kPa
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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