Capillaroscopy in the daily clinic of the pediatric rheumatologist.

In the last decade, nailfold capillaroscopy is finding its way to the daily clinic of (pediatric) rheumatologist. This review will provide the necessary knowledge for the clinician performing this easy and non-invasive examination in children. In the first part, background information on type of capillaroscopy device and standardized (internationally validated) interpretations for the different capillary variables compared to healthy pediatric controls will be provided. The second part focusses on capillary changes that are observed in Raynaud's phenomenon with follow-up recommendations. This part will also cover capillaroscopy findings in juvenile systemic sclerosis, childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis and -mixed connective tissue disease, as well as correlations with disease severity. Lastly, a research agenda shows the current gaps we have in knowledge in this niche of nailfold capillaroscopy in pediatric connective tissue diseases.

Prevalence of cutaneous manifestations and myositis-specific antibodies in COVID-19 patients and Anti-PL7 antibodies association with pulmonary radiological severity: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic immune-mediated myopathy, and may involve many organs, including muscles, skin and lungs. Myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are a useful aid in diagnosis DM and identifying its clinical subtype. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies found clinical similarities regarding lung involvement in both COVID-19 and DM. Such similarities have prompted speculation of a common pathogenetic mechanism. Indeed, viral infections are well-known triggers of autoimmune diseases. This prompted us to investigate whether circulating MSAs could be markers of the severity of lung involvement and of clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, we investigated the presence of cutaneous signs of DM in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 178 hospitalized patients affected by COVID-19. The diagnosis was confirmed by naso-pharyngeal swab positivity for SARS-CoV-2. The severity of lung involvement was assessed by assigning to each patient a radiological score ranging from 1 to 4, based on chest imaging (chest X-rays or CT scans). Serum samples were tested for MSAs. RESULTS: Anti-PL-7 antibodies were detected in 10.1% of patients and were found to be associated with an increased risk of severe pulmonary involvement (p = 0.019) and a worse prognosis in COVID-19 patients. Cutaneous lesions were observed in 26.4% of patients. However, none were cutaneous manifestations of DM. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of anti-PL7 antibodies might predict severe pulmonary involvement and a worse prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Radiomics based on HRCT can predict RP-ILD and mortality in anti-MDA5 + dermatomyositis patients: a multi-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of HRCT-based radiomics in predicting rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) and mortality in anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis-related interstitial lung disease (anti-MDA5 + DM-ILD). METHODS: From August 2014 to March 2022, 160 patients from Institution 1 were retrospectively and consecutively enrolled and were randomly divided into the training dataset (n = 119) and internal validation dataset (n = 41), while 29 patients from Institution 2 were retrospectively and consecutively enrolled as external validation dataset. We generated four Risk-scores based on radiomics features extracted from four areas of HRCT. A nomogram was established by integrating the selected clinico-radiologic variables and the Risk-score of the most discriminative radiomics model. The RP-ILD prediction performance of the models was evaluated by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, calibration curves, and decision curves. Survival analysis was conducted with Kaplan-Meier curves, Mantel-Haenszel test, and Cox regression. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up time of 31.6 months (interquartile range: 12.9-49.1 months), 24 patients lost to follow-up and 46 patients lost their lives (27.9%, 46/165). The Risk-score based on bilateral lungs performed best, attaining AUCs of 0.869 and 0.905 in the internal and external validation datasets. The nomogram outperformed clinico-radiologic model and Risk-score with AUCs of 0.882 and 0.916 in the internal and external validation datasets. Patients were classified into low- and high-risk groups with 50:50 based on nomogram. High-risk group patients demonstrated a significantly higher risk of mortality than low-risk group patients in institution 1 (HR = 4.117) and institution 2 cohorts (HR = 7.515). CONCLUSION: For anti-MDA5 + DM-ILD, the nomogram, mainly based on radiomics, can predict RP-ILD and is an independent predictor of mortality.

Successful Treatment of Ultrasound-confirmed Synovitis in Anti-MDA5 Antibody-positive Clinically Amyopathic Dermatomyositis with Corticosteroid Therapy.

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a subtype of dermatomyositis without severe myositis but with characteristic cutaneous manifestations and severe interstitial lung disease. Joint symptoms can occur in patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive CADM. However, the treatment strategy and utility of ultrasound for treating joint symptoms remain unknown. We herein report an 85-year-old man with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive CADM who presented with ultrasound-confirmed synovitis that improved with medium-dose corticosteroid therapy.

[Magnetic resonance imaging T2 mapping could reflect disease status in patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis].

This study aimed to explore the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 mapping in the assessment of dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). Thirty-three confirmed cases (myosin group) and eight healthy volunteers (healthy control group) at the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, from October 2016 to December 2017, were collected and analyzed. Multiple parameters of the myosin group were quantified, including creatine kinase (CK), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), complement C3, and complement C4. Disease status was evaluated using a panel of tools: myositis disease activity assessment tool-muscle (MDAAT-muscle), myositis disease activity assessment tool-whole (MDAAT-all), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), medical outcomes study health survey short form-36 item (SF-36), hand muscle strength test (MMT-8) score, and MRI T2 mapping of muscle (22 muscles in the pelvis and thighs) T2 values. The results showed that in the myositis group, the measurements for CK, ESR, CRP, complement C3, and complement C4 were 457.2 (165.6, 1 229.2) IU/L, 20 (10, 42) mm/1h, 3.25 (2.38, 10.07) mg/L, 0.90 (0.83, 1.06) g/L, and 0.18 (0.14, 0.23) g/L, respectively. The scores for MMT-8, MDAAT-muscle, MDAAT-all, HAQ, and SF-36 were 57.12±16.23, 5.34 (4.00, 6.00), 34.63±12.62, 1.55 (0.66, 2.59), and 44.66±7.98, respectively. T2 values were significantly higher in all 22 muscles of the pelvis and thighs of patients with DM or PM compared with the healthy controls [(54.99±11.60)ms vs. (36.62±1.66)ms, P<0.001], with the most severe lesions in the satrorius, iliopsoas, piriformis, gluteus minimus, and gluteus medius muscles. The total muscle T2 value in the myositis group was positively correlated with CK, MDAAT-muscle, MDAAT-all, and HAQ (r=0.461, 0.506, 0.347, and 0.510, respectively, all P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between complement C4, SF-36, and MMT-8 scores (r=-0.424, -0.549, and -0.686, respectively, all P<0.05). Collectively, the findings from this study suggest that MRI T2 mapping can objectively reflect the disease status of DM and PM.

Value of radiomics-based automatic grading of muscle edema in polymyositis/dermatomyositis based on MRI fat-suppressed T2-weighted images.

BACKGROUND: The precise and objective assessment of thigh muscle edema is pivotal in diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). PURPOSE: Radiomic features are extracted from fat-suppressed (FS) T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of thigh muscles to enable automatic grading of muscle edema in cases of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 241 MR images were analyzed and classified into five levels using the Stramare criteria. The correlation between muscle edema grading and T2-mapping values was assessed using Spearman's correlation. The dataset was divided into a 7:3 ratio of training (168 samples) and testing (73 samples). Thigh muscle boundaries in FS T2W images were manually delineated with 3D-Slicer. Radiomics features were extracted using Python 3.7, applying Z-score normalization, Pearson correlation analysis, and recursive feature elimination for reduction. A Naive Bayes classifier was trained, and diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and comparing sensitivity and specificity with senior doctors. RESULTS: A total of 1198 radiomics parameters were extracted and reduced to 18 features for Naive Bayes modeling. In the testing set, the model achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.97, sensitivity of 0.85, specificity of 0.98, and accuracy of 0.91. The Naive Bayes classifier demonstrated grading performance comparable to senior doctors. A significant correlation (r = 0.82, P <0.05) was observed between Stramare edema grading and T2-mapping values. CONCLUSION: The Naive Bayes model, utilizing radiomics features extracted from thigh FS T2W images, accurately assesses the severity of muscle edema in cases of PM/DM.

Nail involvement in connective tissue diseases: an epidemiological, clinical, and dermoscopic study.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of nail changes in connective tissue diseases (CTD) has been rarely explored in previous studies. The use of dermoscopy to study vascular changes in nailfolds is an interesting diagnostic technique. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and dermoscopic features of nail lesions in CTD. METHODS: A prospective study was performed at the Dermatology Department of Habib Thameur Hospital (Tunis, Tunisia) in collaboration with the Internal Medicine Department over a period of 15 months, from July 2020 to September 2021, including patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and dermatomyositis (DM). RESULTS: Our study included 48 patients. Nail involvement was found in 44 cases. Dermoscopic nailfold abnormalities were identified in 37 cases. The most common clinical features were ragged cuticle, nailfold erythema, and onycholysis. Additionally, splinter hemorrhage, longitudinal ridging, lunula abnormalities, melanonychia, trachyonychia, leukonychia, increase in transverse curvature, parrot beak nail, half and half nails, and onychorrhexis were described. Nailfold dermoscopy showed a normal pattern in 10 cases, a nonspecific pattern in nine cases (SLE), and a scleroderma pattern in 29 cases (SS and DM). The scleroderma pattern was further categorized into an early pattern (6), an active pattern (14), and a late pattern (9). Normal pattern was observed solely in patients in remission. The late scleroderma pattern was associated with disease duration and systemic involvement. In SLE, disease activity correlated with onycholysis, nailfold erythema, and pathologic pattern in dermoscopy. However, patients with DM displayed a positive correlation between pulmonary involvement and scleroderma pattern. CONCLUSION: Nail involvement in CTD includes a diverse range of abnormalities. Despite being nonspecific, it can provide crucial clues for establishing a diagnosis. Nailfold dermoscopy serves as a mirror for microangiopathy, enabling the detection of changes at an initial stage, and thus, it becomes a diagnostic and prognostic tool.

FDG PET/CT Findings of a Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung Presented as Diffuse Dermatomyositis.

ABSTRACT: Patients with dermatomyositis are prone to have occult malignancy. A previously healthy 68-year-old man with dermatomyositis underwent FDG PET/CT to detect possible malignancy of unknown origin. The images showed not only diffuse increased activity in the muscle, which was related to the known dermatomyositis, but also intense activity in the anterior chest with foci of abnormal activity throughout the body. Pathology examination confirmed small cell carcinoma of the lung with widespread metastases.

Unveiling Cardiac Involvement in Juvenile Dermatomyositis Through Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.

Early detection of cardiac involvement in Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is difficult due to the absence of clinical signs and symptoms, with systolic dysfunction often emerging in late stages and associated with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to employ two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) for subclinical assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic failure in JDM and explore potential associations between impaired LV systolic function (LV-GLS) and disease activity. A prospective study enrolled 20 healthy volunteers and 26 JDM patients (< 18 years old) without cardiac symptoms. Clinical data were collected from medical records, and echocardiograms were conducted by a pediatric cardiologist. Our study cohort demonstrated similar age to controls (13.5 ± .6 vs. 13.8 ± 4.7; p = 0.465). Median illness duration at echocardiography was 5 (1.5-17.5) years, and conventional echocardiography indicated normal LV ejection fraction (> 55%) in all participants. However, STE revealed lowered LV GLS in JDM patients (- 22.2 ± 4.1% vs. - 26.5 ± 5.3% p = 0.022). Pulse steroid users displayed lower GLS average values compared to non-users (ß = 4.99, 95% CI 1.34-8.64, p = 0.009). Negative correlations existed between LV-GLS and age at diagnosis (r = - 0.499; p = 0.011), diastolic parameters (E/E' ratio) and age at diagnosis (r = - 0.469; p = 0.018), as well as RV global strain and age at diagnosis (r = - 0.443; p = 0.024). Employing STE in JDM patients facilitated the identification of preclinical cardiac dysfunction. Given JDM patients' younger age, early myocardial damage detection through STE may impact treatment decisions and long-term cardiovascular prognosis.

Myofascial edema of gastrocnemius: A prominent MRI characteristic in dermatomyositis patients with anti-transcriptional intermediate factor 1-γ antibody.

AIMS: This study was designed to evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns of the lower limb muscles in dermatomyositis (DM) with anti-transcriptional intermediate factor 1-γ (anti-TIF1-γ) antibody. METHODS: This retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study enrolled 12 adult DM patients with anti-TIF1-γ antibody. Muscles were assessed for fascial edema, subcutaneous-tissue edema, muscle edema, and fatty replacement. These features were analyzed in relation to clinical characteristics. RESULTS: All 12 patients underwent hip and thigh MRI, and 8 completed calf MRI. All patients showed myofascial edema, muscle edema, and fatty replacement, and 8 out of 12 further exhibited subcutaneous-tissue edema. Specifically, myofascial edema of the gastrocnemius was observed in all patients (8/8). The vastus intermedialis and vastus lateralis muscles showed the most severe muscle edema, whereas the caput breve of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and soleus muscles exhibited the most severe fatty replacement. Although only 1 patient exhibited asymmetric muscle weakness, 9 showed asymmetric muscle edema, and 10 showed asymmetric fatty replacement. Changes in muscle edema positively correlated with creatine kinase (CK) levels. CONCLUSIONS: Myofascial edema of gastrocnemius was a prominent characteristic of anti-TIF1-γ-positive DM. Early detection of muscle edema, as well as CK levels, may be helpful for monitoring disease activity.

Exploring cardiovascular implications of juvenile dermatomyositis: Insights from aortic stiffness analysis and 3D echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to use three dimensional (3D) strain analysis to evaluate myocardial function and ascending aorta elasticity changes in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). METHODS: Between 2019 and 2021, 23 JDM patients and 20 healthy volunteers participated. Both groups underwent 2D and 3D strain analysis, assessing aortic stiffness using aortic distensibility, stiffness index, strain, and elastic modulus. RESULTS: JDM patients had a median age of 13.3 ± 5.2 years, while controls had a median age of 13.8 ± 4.76 years. 3D strain analysis revealed significantly lower global longitudinal (GLS) and circumferential strain (GCS) in JDM patients compared to controls. Specifically, 3D GLS was notably reduced in patients (-28.1% vs. -31%, p = .047) compared to controls, and 3D GCS was also lower in patients (-27.5% vs. -30.5%, p = .019) compared to controls. Aortic strain and elastic modulus were significantly lower in JDM patients, while aortic stiffness index and distensibility showed no significant differences. Correlation analyses within the JDM group revealed a negative correlation between 3D GLS and age at diagnosis (r = -.561, p = .04), as well as a positive correlation between 3D GLS and both aortic strain (r = .514, p = .0001) and elastic modulus (r = .320, p = .03) in JDM patients. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated a trend towards lower ejection fraction and strain in patients with JDM, along with increased aortic stiffness using 3D echocardiography. These findings suggest potential cardiovascular involvement in juvenile dermatomyositis, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive cardiac assessments in these patients.

Differences in muscle magnetic resonance imaging findings between anti-signal recognition particle antibody-positive myopathy and anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody-positive myositis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the findings of muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between anti-signal recognition particle antibody-positive myopathy (anti-SRP myopathy) and anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody-positive myositis (anti-ARS myositis). METHODS: Of the patients newly diagnosed with polymyositis (PM)/dermatomyositis (DM) and immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM) admitted to our Department between April 2012 and December 2021, those who met the eligibility criteria of positive for anti-SRP or anti-ARS antibodies and thigh MRI at the time of diagnosis were included. We compared the lesion sites and MRI findings of the thigh muscles that were classified into oedema, fascial oedema, fatty replacement, and muscle atrophy between the three groups of anti-SRP myopathy, anti-Jo-1 antibody-positive myositis, and non-Jo-1 antibody-positive myositis. RESULTS: Of the 98 PM/DM and IMNM patients, five anti-SRP myopathy patients and 11 anti-Jo-1-positive and 22 non-Jo-1 antibody-positive patients with myositis were included. The SRP group showed significantly higher blood levels of myogenic enzymes such as serum creatinine kinase (CK) than the other groups (p=0.01). In thigh MRI findings, despite oedema in most cases in anti-SRP and anti-ARS groups, fascial oedema was identified only in the ARS group, frequently in Jo-1 positive patients in particular. Moreover, gluteus maximus muscle lesions occurred more frequently in the SRP group than in the ARS group (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: A comparison of thigh MRI between anti-SRP myopathy and anti-ARS myositis showed different findings and lesion sites reflecting the different pathophysiology that may contribute to their diagnosis.

Development of a computed tomography calcium scoring technique for assessing calcinosis distribution, pattern and burden in dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVES: To utilize whole-body CT imaging and calcium scoring techniques as tools for calcinosis assessment in a prospective cohort of patients with adult and juvenile dermatomyositis (DM and JDM, respectively). METHODS: Thirty-one patients (14 DM and 17 JDM) who fulfilled Bohan and Peter Classification criteria as probable or definite DM, the EULAR-ACR criteria for definite DM, and with calcinosis identified by physical examination or prior imaging studies were included. Non-contrast whole-body CT scans were obtained using low-dose radiation procedures. Scans were read qualitatively and quantitated. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of calcinosis detection of physician physical exam against CT. We quantified calcinosis burden using the Agatston scoring technique. RESULTS: We identified five distinct calcinosis patterns: Clustered, Disjoint, Interfascial, Confluent and Fluid-filled. Novel locations of calcinosis were observed, including the cardiac tissue, pelvic and shoulder bursa, and the spermatic cord. Quantitative measures using Agatston scoring for calcinosis were used in regional distributions across the body. Physician physical exams had a sensitivity of 59% and a specificity of 90% compared with CT detection. A higher calcium score correlated with higher Physician Global Damage, Calcinosis Severity scores, and disease duration. CONCLUSION: Whole-body CT scans and the Agatston scoring metric define distinct calcinosis patterns and provide novel insights relating to calcinosis in DM and JDM patients. Physicians' physical examinations underrepresented the presence of calcium. Calcium scoring of CT scans correlated with clinical measures, which suggests that this method may be used to assess calcinosis and follow its progression.

Assessment of nail fold capillary changes by hand-held dermoscopy in adult dermatomyositis: A single-centre prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Hand-held dermoscopy is a valuable tool for dermatologists, but it has been rarely used to assess the nail fold capillary (NFC) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM). METHODS: Patients were collected from the Department of Dermatology and Venereology from July 2020 to July 2021, and the follow-up was conducted until January 2022. Demographic features, disease activity and NFC changes were analysed using a hand-held dermoscopy. RESULTS: The most common NFC finding in our study was bushy capillary (87.0%). There was no significant improvement in scleroderma-dermatomyositis (SD)-like nail fold changes or enlarged capillaries from baseline to 12 weeks of treatment (p > 0.05) or from 12 weeks to 24 weeks of treatment (p > 0.05), but there was a significant improvement from baseline to 24 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). The avascular area did not improve from baseline to 12 weeks of follow-up, but the changes were significant from 12 weeks to 24 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05) and baseline to 24 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). Periungual erythema improved significantly from baseline to 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05) and baseline to 24 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05), but it did not improve significantly from 12 weeks to 24 weeks of treatment (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in disease activity between patients with or without specific NFC changes. However, some NFC features improved as disease activity decreased. CONCLUSION: Dermoscopy of NFC is a cost-effective option for the preliminary diagnosis of DM. Further, long-term follow-up is necessary to study the relationship between disease activity and NFC changes.

Intramuscular lesions in musculoskeletal MRI as a favourable prognostic sign in patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVES: Anti-differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis, which has been described as clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis, complicates rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD). Owing to the absence of significant muscle symptoms, musculoskeletal MRI is often not performed. In this study, we aimed to devise a simple evaluation method using musculoskeletal MRI findings to elucidate the relationship between MRI findings and ILD prognosis and development. METHODS: The medical records and MRI scans of the proximal muscles at the time of diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed for 28 patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis who were admitted to The Jikei University Hospital and The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital between January 2008 and March 2022. Three observers evaluated nine proximal muscles for high signals on either short-tau inversion recovery images and/or fat-saturated gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images in the fascia and/or in the margins of the muscles in contact with the fascia (fascial pattern), and/or high signals in the muscles away from the fascia (intramuscular pattern), and a consensus was reached. RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 15 presented with 'radiological myositis', where an intramuscular pattern was observed at any site. Patients with radiological myositis had significantly higher survival rates than those without radiological myositis, despite the lower rate of triple therapy with prednisolone, calcineurin inhibitors and cyclophosphamide. The spread of ILD on chest CT negatively and significantly correlated with the proportion of intramuscular lesions. CONCLUSION: The detection of intramuscular lesions on musculoskeletal MRI using our novel evaluation method could be clinically useful as a favourable prognostic marker.

Improvement in Disease Activity in Refractory Juvenile Dermatomyositis Following Abatacept Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This open-label, 24-week study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of abatacept in patients with refractory juvenile dermatomyositis (DM). METHODS: Ten patients ≥7 years of age with moderate disease activity were enrolled in a 24-week study to examine the safety of subcutaneous abatacept and patient responses to the treatment. The primary endpoint was the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) group Definition Of Improvement (DOI). Secondary endpoints included safety, changes in the core set activity measures (CSMs) of the IMACS group and the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization, and improvements in disease activity based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EULAR response criteria for juvenile DM. Radiologists blinded with regard to participant data assessed magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of patient thigh muscles. Interferon (IFN)-regulated gene score was performed on whole-blood RNA samples using a NanoString assay, and cytokines were assessed using a Luminex assay. RESULTS: Five patients achieved DOI at week 12, and 9 patients achieved DOI at week 24, including 2 patients with minimal, 4 patients with moderate, and 3 patients with major improvement by the 2016 ACR/EULAR response criteria for juvenile DM when patients were assessed using the CSMs of the IMACS Group. Improvements from baseline were seen in all CSMs at weeks 12 and 24, except in muscle enzymes. Daily glucocorticoid doses decreased from a mean of 16.7 mg at baseline to 10.2 mg at week 24 (P = 0.002). Average MRI muscle edema scores decreased from a mean baseline score of 5.3 to 2.3 at week 24 (P = 0.01). Six patients had down-trending IFN-regulated gene scores and galectin-9 expression at week 24. Decreases in IFN-regulated gene scores and in levels of interferon-γ-inducible protein 10kDa, galectin-9, and interleukin-2 correlated with improvements in disease activity and in muscle edema shown on MRI. Eleven grade 2 or 3 treatment-emergent adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: This open-label study demonstrated that abatacept may be beneficial for patients with treatment-refractory juvenile DM.

Features of MRI honeycomb edema signals in cancer-associated dermatomyositis patients: a brief report.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that is a possible paraneoplastic phenomenon. The aim of this study was to explore the difference in thigh MRI findings between DM patients with and without cancer to further assist clinicians in the early discovery of underlying malignancy. Thigh muscle MRI with T2 fs/STIR images obtained from 47 patients diagnosed with DM at a single center were retrospectively assessed for the involvement of muscle compartments, as well as the pattern and distribution of the edema signal. Among 47 patients, 14 had cancer within three years of DM diagnosis. Honeycomb edema signals were more frequently observed in cancer patients (10 in the cancer group, 11 in the noncancer group, p = 0.020), while foggy signals were not found in cancer patients. Among patients with honeycomb signals, we found that cancer patients had a relatively longer disease duration (p = 0.012), lower creatine kinase levels (p = 0.011), and barely showed adductor involvement (p = 0.016). Logistic regression analysis identified honeycomb edema signals in the quadriceps without adductor involvement as an independent risk factor for having cancer in DM patients. Honeycomb pattern edema signals showed in quadriceps but not adductors on thigh muscle MRI STIR/T2 fs sequence were more frequently found in cancer-associated DM patients. Key points • MRI honeycomb edema signals in the quadriceps without adductor involvement may be a predictor for underlying cancer in DM patients.