Imaging Approach in the Diagnostics and Evaluation of the Psoriasis Plaque: A Preliminary Study and Literature Review

Abstract

(1) Background: the aim of the study was to demonstrate its usefulness in the field of imaging evaluation of plaque morphology in psoriasis vulgaris, with an emphasis on the use of confocal microscopy and other advanced skin-imaging techniques. (2) Methods: we conducted a prospective study over two years (July 2022–April 2024), on patients diagnosed with moderate or severe psoriasis vulgaris, treated in the dermatology department of our institution. We selected 30 patients, of whom 15 became eligible according to the inclusion and the exclusion criteria. A total of 60 psoriasis plaques were analyzed by dermatoscopy using a Delta 30 dermatoscope and Vidix 4.0 videodermoscope (VD), by cutaneous ultrasound (US) using a high-resolution 20 MHz linear probe, and by confocal microscopy, along with histopathological analysis. (3) Results: the study included fifteen patients with vulgar psoriasis, diagnosed histopathologically, of whom six were women and nine were men, with an average age of 55. Between two and six plaques per patient were selected and a total of sixty psoriasis plaques were analyzed by non-invasive imaging techniques. Twelve lesions were analyzed with ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM), compared to histology. US showed that the hyperechoic band and the lack of damage to the subcutaneous tissue were the most common criteria. The epidermis and dermis were found to be thicker in the area of psoriasis plaques compared to healthy skin. Dermatoscopy showed that the specific aspect of psoriasis plaques localized on the limbs and trunk was a lesion with an erythematous background, with dotted vessels with regular distribution on the surface and covered by white scales with diffuse distribution. The presence of bushy vessels with medium condensation was the most frequently identified pattern on VD. Good correlations were identified between the histological criteria and those obtained through confocal microscopy. (4) Conclusions: the assessment and monitoring of patients with psoriasis vulgaris can be conducted in a more complete and all-encompassing manner by incorporating dermatoscopy, ultrasonography, and confocal microscopy in clinical practice.

Keywords

• psoriasis plaque
• dermatoscopy
• videodermatoscopy
• ultrasonography
• confocal microscopy