Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28320447›Full record

ArticleArthritis research & therapy2017

Subclinical dermal involvement is detectable by high frequency ultrasound even in patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

A Sulli, B Ruaro, V Smith, S Paolino, C Pizzorni, G Pesce, M Cutolo

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Novel therapies and innovation for systemic sclerosis skin ulceration.Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology · 2022
    Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Overview of Ultrasound Imaging Applications in Dermatology.Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery · 2021
    Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Novel Imaging Strategies in Systemic Sclerosis.Current rheumatology reports · 2020
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

A SulliResearch Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, n° 6, AOU IRCCS San Martino, 16132, Genova, Italy.
B RuaroResearch Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, n° 6, AOU IRCCS San Martino, 16132, Genova, Italy.
V SmithDepartment of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
S PaolinoResearch Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, n° 6, AOU IRCCS San Martino, 16132, Genova, Italy.
C PizzorniResearch Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, n° 6, AOU IRCCS San Martino, 16132, Genova, Italy.
G PesceLaboratory of Autoimmunity, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS A.O.U, San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
M CutoloResearch Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, n° 6, AOU IRCCS San Martino, 16132, Genova, Italy. mcutolo@unige.it.
Ghent University Hospital · BEOspedale Policlinico San Martino · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of the study was to detect by skin high-frequency ultrasound (US) possible subclinical skin involvement in patients affected by limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc), in those skin areas apparently not affected by the disease on the basis of a normal modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). Differences in dermal thickness (DT) in comparison with healthy subjects were investigated.

methodsFifty patients with lcSSc (age 62 ± 13 years (mean ± SD), disease duration 5 ± 5 years) and 50 sex-matched and age-matched healthy subjects (age 62 ± 11 years) were enrolled. DT was evaluated by both mRSS and US at the usual 17 skin areas (zygoma, fingers, dorsum of the hands, forearms, upper arms, chest, abdomen, thighs, lower legs and feet). Non-parametric tests were used for the statistical analysis.

resultsSubclinical dermal involvement was detected by US even in the skin areas in patients with lcSSc, who had a normal local mRSS. In addition, statistically significantly higher mean DT was found in almost all skin areas, when compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001 for all areas). In particular, DT was significantly greater in patients with lcSSc than in healthy subjects in four out of six skin areas with a normal mRSS (score = 0) (upper arm, chest and abdomen), despite the clinical classification of lcSSc.

conclusionsThis study strongly suggests that subclinical dermal involvement may be detectable by US even in skin areas with a normal mRSS in patients classified as having lcSSc. This should be taken into account during SSc subset classification in clinical studies/trials.

Indexed as

AbdomenAgedArmFemaleFingersHandHumansMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of ResultsScleroderma, LimitedScleroderma, SystemicSeverity of Illness IndexSkinThoraxUltrasonographyDermal thicknessHigh-frequency ultrasoundNailfold videocapillaroscopyRodnan skin scoreSystemic sclerosis

Identifiers

PMID28320447
PMCPMC5360023
OpenAlexW2599530213

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.