Top Advances in Dermatologic Ultrasound

Abstract

The advances in dermatologic ultrasound have been significantly influenced by the development of high‐ and ultrahigh‐frequency probes, the provision of guidelines for performing the examinations, and a growing number of publications in the field. This review analyzes the most significant contributions that have impacted the daily practice of dermatologists in recent years. This includes the advances in anatomical detection and the patterns of benign and malignant cutaneous tumors, inflammatory dermatologic conditions, vascular anomalies, nail abnormalities, and aesthetic procedures. The knowledge of these advances is a primer for the operators of these examinations.

Top applications of dermatologic ultrasonography that can modify management

“…Thus, it can be clinically mistaken for an epidermal cyst or other benign tumors, including vascular lesions. 1,10,11,27,28,30 On ultrasound, the most frequent form of presentation is the target type with a hypoechoic rim and a hyperechoic border that contains hyperechoic spots that A c c e p t e d A r t i c l e correspond to calcium deposits. The detection of calcium is the key sign to diagnosing this tumor (Fig.…”

“…Other forms of presentation are the heterogeneous and the mixed echogenicity (anechoic and hypoechoic) forms. 1,10,11,18,27,28,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] The mixed echogenicity pilomatrixoma is also called cystic or bullous pilomatrixoma, and its appearance is usually caused by internal bleeding. The latter form of presentation may be tricky clinically because it is softer in palpation than the usual pilomatrixoma.…”

“…Congenital syndromes with brain and spinal abnormalities should be ruled out in children with hemangiomas in the midline. 1,10,11,23,24,38,[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]…”

“…Mainly, this seems to be the result of technological advances, such as the increase in the frequency of probes and a growing number of publications on the topic. 1 To date, the dermatologic applications of ultrasound include benign and malignant skin tumors, vascular anomalies, cutaneous inflammatory conditions, aesthetic procedures, and nail lesions. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Moreover, published guidelines for performing the examinations allow us to standardize the procedure and, therefore, its quality.…”

“…The axial spatial resolution of ultrasound is 100 microns at 18 MHz and 30 microns at 70 MHz which can make it more comparable to the lower degree of magnification of histology. 1,9 The success of any imaging technique in the real-world practice of medicine relies on the capacity to modify the diagnosis and/or treatment. Thus, dermatology is not the exception to this statement.…”