ArticleArthritis research & therapy2020
Ultrasound assessment of skin thickness and stiffness: the correlation with histology and clinical score in systemic sclerosis.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- High-resolution ultrasound imaging of skin involvement in systemic sclerosis: a systematic review.Rheumatology international · 2021Pooled it
- Ultrasonography - a novel auxiliary interpretive approach for tuberculin-purified pure protein derivative skin test: a comparative study.Therapeutic advances in respiratory diseaseTrial
- Development of a simplified 3-site ultrasound skin score in systemic sclerosis: a pilot study.Journal of ultrasound · 2026Article
- Shear Wave Elastography for Non-Invasive Assessment of Skin Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Transabdominal shear-wave elastography for the assessment of esophageal stiffness in systemic sclerosis: a retrospective case-control study.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Impact of transradial amputation and brachial plexus injury on vibrotactile sensation capacity of the upper extremity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Assessment of Skin in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis Using High-Frequency Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography: A Comparative Study With Histology, Molecular, and Clinical Parameters.Arthritis care & research · 2026Article
- A matter arising: When should inflammatory and autoimmune rheumatic diseases be considered 'early'?European journal of clinical investigation · 2026Review
- Correlation between 75 MHz high-frequency ultra-sound and histopathology in psoriatic lesions.Medicine and pharmacy reports · 2025Article
- Wireless, wearable elastography via mechano-acoustic wave sensing for ambulatory monitoring of tissue stiffness.Science advances · 2025Article
- Performance of Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Skin Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- An Intraoperative Study of Flap Thickness Between Medial Sural Artery, Anterolateral Thigh, and Radial Forearm Flaps.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Ultrasound Beyond Joints: A Review of Extra-Articular Applications in Rheumatology.Current rheumatology reports · 2025Review
- The predictive value of anti-IFI16 antibodies for the development or persistence of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Article
- The diagnostic value and clinical relevance of high frequency ultrasound and shear wave elastography in systemic sclerosis: an observational monocentric study.Clinical rheumatology · 2024Observational
- Near-infrared spectroscopy-enabled electromechanical systems for fast mapping of biomechanics and subcutaneous diagnosis.Science advances · 2024Article
- Skin Ultrasound Assessment of Patients with Systemic Scleroderma-An Observational Study.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- High-frequency ultrasound evaluation of morphea: Retrospective analytical study.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2024Article
- Clinical and ultrasonographic evaluation of efficacy and safety of intralesional injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma in morphea: A comparative case series.Journal of scleroderma and related disorders · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUltrasound is a useful tool to evaluate and quantify skin lesions. Few studies have assessed the criterion validity of skin ultrasound in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aims of the study were to investigate skin thickness and stiffness using ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) in SSc and to validate skin ultrasound measurements against histological skin thickness.
methodsA total of 22 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 22 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), and 22 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Skin thickness and stiffness were measured by B-mode ultrasound with SWE imaging on the bilateral fingers and hands. Additional ultrasound evaluation was carried out in 13 patients (9 dcSSc and 4 lcSSc) on their dorsal forearms, followed by skin biopsy conducted in the same skin areas. Correlations between ultrasound measurements and histological skin thickness and modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) were investigated using Spearman's correlation.
resultsCompared with controls, ultrasound-measured skin thickness and skin stiffness were significantly higher in patients with SSc (p < 0.001) and even higher in those with dcSSc. No clear correlation could be established between ultrasound-determined skin thickness and stiffness at the same site. Ultrasound-measured skin thickness correlated well with histological skin thickness (r = 0.6926, p = 0.009). A weaker association was also observed between histological skin thickness and local mRSS (r = 0.5867, p = 0.050).
conclusionsUltrasound is a reliable tool for quantifying skin involvement in SSc. Ultrasound-measured skin thickness showed good agreement with histological skin thickness.
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Registered trials
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.