Open Access Rheumatology: Research and Reviews (Dec 2021)
New Perspectives on Diagnosing Psoriatic Arthritis by Imaging Techniques
Abstract
Mihaela Ionela Sarbu,1,* Nicolae Sarbu,2 Doriana Cristea Ene,3 Daniela Corche,3 Radu Baz,4,* Dragos Negru,5,* Aurel Nechita,1,6 Silvia Fotea,1,6 Lucretia Anghel,1,3 Alin Laurentiu Tatu7,8 1Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University, Galati, Romania; 2Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University, Al. I. Cuza No 35, Galati, Romania; 3Sf Apostol Andrei Clinical County Emergency Hospital, Galati, Romania; 4Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Clinical County Emergency Hospital Constanta, “Ovidius” University, Constanta, Romania; 5Department of Radiology – Imaging, University Hospital “Sf. Spiridon”, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, Iasi, Romania; 6Department of Pediatrics, “Sf. Ioan” Clinical Hospital for Children, Galati, Romania; 7Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Clinical Department, Medical and Pharmaceutical Research Unit/Competitive, Interdisciplinary Research Integrated Platform’, ReForm-UDJG, “Dunarea de Jos” University, Galati, Romania; 8Clinical Hospital St Parascheva of Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Department, Galati, Romania*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Nicolae SarbuFaculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University, Al. I. Cuza No 35, Galati, RomaniaTel +40728301044Email [email protected]: Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that can lead to severe functional impairment and irreversible damage. The diagnosis can be difficult in early cases where the clinical exam is often scarce. The lack of a serological biomarker can lead to a considerable delay in diagnosis. In this review, we discuss the existent imaging methods that have improved the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The degree and type of musculoskeletal involvement cannot be assessed by only one imaging method. We think that a combination of methods is the best approach to evaluate both structural damage and inflammatory lesions and that ultrasound (US) could be the best tool to screen a patient when considering the diagnosis of PsA. US is an accessible, non-ionizing technique that offers information regarding active inflammation in joints, entheses, and soft tissues.Keywords: imaging, psoriatic arthritis, MRI, ultrasound
