Cell Blocks from Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspirates: Diagnostic Yield in a Series of 51 Dermatologic Lesions.

The generation of cell blocks (CB) obtained from ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies (USFNAB) is a well-established technique in breast and thyroid pathology, but is rarely used in dermatology. We reviewed CBs obtained from USFNAB of skin lesions, which were categorized as malignant skin tumors, benign skin tumors, inflammatory skin tumors or deposit skin diseases. The diagnostic yield of each category was compared to histopathology. The USFNAB of 51 skin lesions was processed into CBs. There was overall agreement between histopathology and CBs in 84.31% of cases. Diagnostic group concordance for benign, malignant as well as inflammatory and deposit skin lesions were 69.2%, 93.7% and 86.3% respectively. Cell block generation from USFNAB aspirates of skin lesions should be considered as part of the dermatologic diagnostic armamentarium. Further experience is needed to better understand for which types of dermatologic lesions it would be clearly indicated.

Cell Blocks from Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspirates: Diagnostic Yield in a Series of 51 Dermatologic Lesions. / [Artículo traducido] Bloques celulares obtenidos de la punción-aspiración con aguja fina ecoguiada: rendimiento diagnóstico en una serie de 51 lesiones dermatológicas.

The generation of cell blocks (CBs) obtained from ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies (USFNAB) is a well-established technique in breast and thyroid pathology, but is rarely used in dermatology. We reviewed CBs obtained from USFNAB of skin lesions, which were categorized as malignant skin tumors, benign skin tumors, inflammatory skin tumors or deposit skin diseases. The diagnostic yield of each category was compared to histopathology. The USFNAB of 51 skin lesions was processed into CBs. There was overall agreement between histopathology and CBs in 84.31% of cases. Diagnostic group concordance for benign, malignant as well as inflammatory and deposit skin lesions were 69.2%, 93.7% and 86.3% respectively. Cell block generation from USFNAB aspirates of skin lesions should be considered as part of the dermatologic diagnostic armamentarium. Further experience is needed to better understand for which types of dermatologic lesions it would be clearly indicated.

Ultrasound as a diagnostic and management tool in hidradenitis suppurativa patients: a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that clinical evaluation consistently underestimates the severity of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in HS compared with clinical examination and to assess the subsequent modification of disease management. METHODS: Cross-sectional multicentre study. Severity classification and therapeutic approach according to clinical vs. ultrasound examination were compared. RESULTS: Of 143 HS patients were included. Clinical examination scored 38, 70 and 35 patients as Hurley stage I, II and III, respectively; with ultrasound examination, 21, 80 and 42 patients were staged with Hurley stage I, II and III disease, respectively (P < 0.01). In patients with stage I classification as determined by clinical examination, 44.7% changed to a more severe stage. Clinical examination indicated that 44.1%, 54.5% and 1.4% of patients would maintain, increase or decrease treatment, respectively. For ultrasound examination, these percentages were 31.5%, 67.1% and 1.4% (P < 0.01). Concordance between clinical and ultrasound intra-rater examination was 22.8% (P < 0.01); intra-rater and inter-rater (radiologist) ultrasound agreement was 94.9% and 81.7%, respectively (P < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: The inability to detect lesions that measure ≤0.1 mm or with only epidermal location. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound can modify the clinical staging and therapeutic management in HS by detecting subclinical disease.

High-frequency ultrasound features in a case of gouty panniculitis.

Gouty panniculitis is caused by the deposition of urate crystals in the subcutaneous tissue, accompanied by a lobular panniculitis. It presents as subcutaneous nodules, most commonly located on the lower extremities. Being an unusual clinical presentation of gout, the sonographic findings of gouty panniculitis have been scarcely described in the literature. Our report describes the ultrasound features we found in a case of gouty panniculitis and the usefulness of this technique for diagnosis and monitoring of this disease.

Elastography in Dermatology. / Elastografía en dermatología.

Elastography is a recently developed ultrasound technique applicable to various medical specialties. It provides information on the physical properties of tissues in the context of physiologic and pathologic alterations. In this review we explain the physical principles of the method, the information provided by the different elastography techniques, and its new applications in clinical dermatology.

Update on the Use of Ultrasound in Vascular Anomalies. / Actualización en ecografía de las anomalías vasculares.

Advances in our understanding of the biology and therapy of vascular anomalies have made this condition a common reason for consulting a dermatologist. In addition, multidisciplinary units have been created to manage patients with complex vascular anomalies. Although most vascular anomalies are diagnosed based on clinical findings, a thorough evaluation often requires additional imaging tests to determine the nature, extension, and prognosis of these lesions. Because it is fast and noninvasive, ultrasound is usually the first imaging test ordered. In the present review, we provide a state-of-the-art synthesis of key concepts in the ultrasound examination of vascular anomalies so that they are more accessible to clinicians and medical imaging specialists involved in the management of these lesions.

[Physical principles and general considerations]. / Principios físicos y generalidades.

Cutaneous ultrasound is based on the application of the physical properties of ultrasound to the skin and cutaneous adnexae. Knowledge of ultrasound semiology, artifacts and the application of Doppler examination allows deeper study of the biology and diseases of the skin and its adnexae.

[Cutaneous ultrasound and dermal fillers]. / Ecografía cutánea y rellenos dermatológicos.

Requests for fillers or dermatological implants have dramatically increased in dermatology consultations in the last few years, either for the correction of superficial age-related wrinkles and cutaneous creases or to increase the volume of specific areas (cheeks, lips...). Dermatologists are often the first professionals to provide these treatments. Nevertheless, in other situations, the patients have already been treated, and many of them do not know the type of material that has been implanted or may even deny previous treatment, even when evident on clinical examination. In these occasions, cutaneous ultrasound is an effective and reliable tool for the real-time diagnosis of the kind of implant that has been used, its location, and the study of its possible complications.

Ultrasound skin imaging.

The interaction of high-frequency ultrasound waves with the skin provides the basis for noninvasive, fast, and accessible diagnostic imaging. This tool is increasingly used in skin cancer and inflammatory conditions as well as in cosmetic dermatology. This article reviews the basic principles of skin ultrasound and its applications in the different areas of dermatology.

The usefulness of ultrasound imaging in digital and extradigital glomus tumors.

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the use of ultrasound imaging of the skin in the field of dermatology, as the technique reveals details of vessels and other structures that cannot be detected on physical examination. Extradigital glomus tumors are rarely seen in clinical practice and can pose a diagnostic challenge for dermatologists. We report on 4 patients with a clinical suspicion of extradigital glomus tumor and on 1 patient with a clinical suspicion of subungual glomus tumor. All 5 patients underwent ultrasound examination in B mode and color and pulsed-wave Doppler prior to surgical excision of the tumor and histologic examination, which confirmed the diagnosis in each case. Ultrasound imaging of the skin, combined with clinical findings, provided a simple, noninvasive way of making a prompt diagnosis and identifying the exact location of the lesion for surgical removal.

Sonographic findings in scabies.

Scabies is a cutaneous infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, a small mite that performs its whole life cycle within the epidermis. In this case report, we provide images of the sonographic signs of scabies. We found that the adult mite can be seen as a hyperechoic well-defined ovoid area within the epidermal layer at the end of the hypoechoic burrow, while the eggs correspond to tiny heteroechoic dots along the burrow. In conclusion, ultrasound may prove useful to differentiate between inhabited vs non-inhabited scabiotic burrows.

Sonography of monkeypox cutaneous lesions.

The present global outbreak of monkeypox has reached more than 79,000 cases by November 2022. While clinical features have been extensively studied, ultrasound findings in monkeypox skin lesions have not been described to date. In our work, we performed a complete sonographic study with Doppler and elastography of 3 patients with polymerase chain reaction-proven monkeypox. The most characteristic findings in skin lesions were hyperechoic epidermal thickening, dermo-hypodermal thickening with focal hypoechogenicity and increased intralesional vascularization. Regarding lymphadenopathies, we found vascularization of hilar distribution and an increased cortical stiffness and shoft hiliar area.

Omalizumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Atopy is almost always associated with an elevated immunoglobulin (Ig) E production. Omalizumab is a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody that is currently indicated for the treatment of cases of asthma that satisfy certain criteria. A number of studies have been published on the usefulness of omalizumab in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, and the results have been variable. We present our experience in the treatment of 9 patients with severe atopic dermatitis refractory to at least 2 systemic drugs. All patients reported a decrease in pruritus and an improvement in quality of life. Good control of the skin disease was achieved with omalizumab in monotherapy in 2 patients, and there was a slight improvement in the eczematous lesions in 4 patients. Those patients who also had asthma achieved good control of their respiratory symptoms and did not require additional therapy. Omalizumab is a well-tolerated and safe drug that can be useful for the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis refractory to other systemic therapies. This monoclonal anti-IgE antibody is a major therapeutic advance as it opens the door to the management of atopic dermatitis using systemic immunomodulating therapies.