High-frequency sonography in the evaluation of psoriasis: nail and skin involvement

The purpose of this study was to show the potential of the latest sonographic equipment using high-frequency probes and a very sensitive power Doppler (PD) technique in depicting both skin and nail changes in patients affected by psoriasis.

The study was conducted in 30 patients with a diagnosis of psoriasis clinically performed by an experienced dermatologist and 15 healthy participants, using a currently available sonography system equipped with a variable-frequency transducer ranging from 6 to 18 MHz and a Doppler frequency ranging from 7 to 14 MHz.

The images illustrated in this presentation are representative examples of the ability of sonography to show and characterize even minimal morphostructural and blood flow changes in patients with both psoriatic plaques and onychopathy.

This report provides pictorial evidence that high-resolution gray scale sonography with a PD technique is a real-time and noninvasive imaging technique that can be used as an adjunct to the clinical evaluation in assessing psoriatic disease.