ULTRASOUND SURFACE WAVE ELASTOGRAPHY FOR ASSESSING SCLERODERMA

Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis (SSc), is a multi-organ connective tissue disease characterized by immune dysregulation and tissue fibrosis. Skin disease is both a disabling feature of SSc and a predictor of visceral involvement and increased mortality. The Modified Rodnan Skin Score (MRSS) is currently the most common clinical method for assessing skin. We developed ultrasound surface wave elastography (USWE) techniques to measure skin surface wave speeds and analyze skin viscoelasticity. The objective of this research was to determine the correlations of skin surface wave speed and skin viscoelasticity with MRSS. Twenty-six SSc patients were studied using USWE and the MRSS. The subject was tested in a sitting position while his or her left or right forearm and upper arm were placed horizontally on a pillow in a relaxed state. The skin of both left and right forearms and upper arms of patients was tested using USWE. Surface wave speeds are positively correlated with the MRSS. Skin elasticity is also positively correlated with the MRSS. However, there was no correlation between skin viscosity and the MRSS for these SSc patients. We will further study if skin viscosity is sensitive enough to detect early edema from inflammation changes of SSc. (C) 2020 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. All rights reserved.

硬皮病，或系统性硬化症（SSc），是一种多器官结缔组织疾病，其特征是免疫失调和组织纤维化。皮肤病既是SSc的一个致残特征，也是内脏受累和死亡率增加的一个预测指标。改良的罗德南皮肤评分（MRSS）是目前评估皮肤最常用的临床方法。我们开发了超声表面波弹性成像（USWE）技术来测量皮肤表面波速度并分析皮肤粘弹性。本研究的目的是确定皮肤表面波速度和皮肤粘弹性与MRSS的相关性。对26名SSc患者使用USWE和MRSS进行了研究。受试者坐在座位上，其左臂或右臂以及上臂在放松状态下水平放置在枕头上。使用USWE对患者左右前臂和上臂的皮肤进行测试。表面波速度与MRSS呈正相关。皮肤弹性也与MRSS呈正相关。然而，对于这些SSc患者，皮肤粘性与MRSS之间没有相关性。我们将进一步研究皮肤粘性是否足够敏感以检测SSc炎症变化引起的早期水肿。（C）2020世界医学与生物学超声联合会。保留所有权利。