Conventional ultrasound combined with elastography for evaluating active lesions of juvenile localized scleroderma / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the value of conventional ultrasound combined with ultrasonic elastography for evaluating the severity of active lesions of juvenile localized scleroderma(JLS).Methods Totally 27 JLS children with 46 active lesions were prospectively enrolled.The thickness,echo and blood flow of skin and subcutaneous tissue of JLS lesions and the paired sites were evaluated using conventional ultrasound,while the skin stiffness of all lesions and paired sites were assessed using shear wave elastography(SWE),and the strain ratio of lesions and surrounding skin were evaluated using strain elastography(SE).The thickness,echo and blood flow of skin as well as subcutaneous tissue,and the Young's modulus of skin were compared between JLS active lesions and the paired sites.The correlations of the individual sum total of each Young's modulus and the limited scleroderma activity index(LoSAI)or the limited scleroderma injury index(LoSDI)were explored.Results Compared with the paired site,no significant difference of the skin thickness was found among 46 JLS lesions(P＞0.05),but JLS lesions had thinner subcutaneous tissue(P＜0.05)and greater Young's moduli(all P＜0.05).The strain ratio of the lesions and surrounding skin were all larger than 2.For JLS children with active lesions,the individual sum total of Young's moduli had moderate rank correlations with LoSAI(rs=0.63-0.69,all P＜0.05),but there was no significant rank correlation with LoSDI(rs=0.27-0.33,P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with the paired site,JLS active lesions had thinner subcutaneous tissue and stiffer skin.The higher the lesion skin stiffness,the more severe the JLS lesion activity.