In recent years, there has been growing use of sonography in the dermatologic field. Thus, this review analyzes the most common dermatologic applications of sonography with some technical considerations for performing this type of examination. Moreover, the sonographic findings in common benign and malignant skin tumors, inflammatory dermatologic diseases, and ungual and cosmetic conditions, among others, are considered. Thus, this noninvasive technique may be a potent adjunctive tool in the diagnosis and management of dermatologic conditions in daily practice, delivering critical information otherwise unavailable to the clinical naked eye.
There is a need to standardize the performance and quality of dermatologic ultrasound examinations. The present guidelines written by an international group of specialists in the field may support this objective.
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.
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.
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