Spleen elastography in patients with Systemic sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Medical Imaging
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease causing fibrosis in skin and organs.
• Splenic involvement in SSc is suspected but lacks objective instrumental evidence.
• Tissue fibrosis results from immune activation and vascular damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess spleen elasticity and stiffness in SSc patients versus healthy controls using ultrasound elastography.
• To investigate the utility of point shear wave elastography (pSWE) in detecting splenic fibrosis in SSc.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 34 SSc patients and 35 healthy volunteers underwent spleen elastography using Esaote MyLab 9 eXP.
• Point SWE was performed to measure spleen stiffness and size.
• Demographic and clinical data, including SSc subtype (dcSSc/lcSSc) and disease duration, were collected.

Main Results:

• Spleen stiffness was significantly higher in SSc patients (3.19 m/s) than in controls (2.40 m/s) (p<0.001).
• Stiffness was also higher in diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) (3.38 m/s) compared to limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) (2.81 m/s) (p<0.001).
• No significant difference in spleen size was observed between SSc patients and controls, or between SSc subtypes.

Conclusions:

• Point SWE is a reliable method for detecting early splenic fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis.
• Increased spleen stiffness is a characteristic finding in SSc patients.
• Further research should explore similar elastographic assessments in other SSc-affected organs like the liver and thyroid.