Power Doppler Ultrasonography on Tendons of Lower Limbs to Assess Subclinical Enthesopathy in Patients with Psoriasis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Psoriatic arthritis is a long-term condition that affects some people who have psoriasis. In severe cases, there's a risk of the joints becoming permanently damaged or deformed. Diagnosis of psoriasis-associated enthesopathy helps early detection and treatment of psoriatic arthropathy before joint damage becomes established. Objective: to detect the presence of asymptomatic entheseal abnormalities in psoriatic patients in an attempt for preclinical detection of psoriatic arthritis before full joint affection becomes established. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 50 with psoriasis without evidence of arthropathy collected from Ain Shams University hospitals. All the patients were subjected to the following: Full history, clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations and power doppler US on both lower limb entheses. Results: The present study proved that 48 patients out of 50 with psoriasis showed entheseal abnormalities at least in one site of lower limbs detected by MSUS and this was assessed using glascow ultrasound enthesopathy scoring system (GUESS). Conclusion: MSUS is useful in the detection of early findings of psoriatic arthropathy especially the presence of enthesitis even in asymptomatic patients.