Entheseal Fibrocartilage Potential Biomarker in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis

According to a study published in Diagnostics, entheseal fibrocartilage (EF) could be a potential imaging biomarker for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Researchers aimed to evaluate the EF at the Achilles tendon insertion in patients with PsA using power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS). They also aimed to assess the reliability of EF thickness evaluation; compare the EF thickness of patients with PsA, athletes, and healthy controls (HCs); and evaluate the correlations between EF abnormalities, disease activity, and functional indices in PsA.

Thirty patients with PsA, 40 athletes, and 20 HCs were enrolled and a bilateral PDUS evaluation of the Achilles tendon was performed to evaluate EF in all participants. The median EF thickness among the patients with PsA, athletes, and HCs was 0.035 cm (0.028–0.04 cm), 0.036 cm (0.025–0.043 cm), and 0.038 cm (0.031–0.048 cm), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in EF thickness between the 3 groups, and intra- and interreader reliability of the EF thickness evaluation was found to be excellent. The study showed that there was no significant correlation in disease activity in patients with PsA.

“The assessment of EF is a feasible and reproducible test and may be explored as a potential imaging biomarker,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Perrotta FM, Ronga M, Scriffignano S, Lubrano E. Ultrasonographic evaluation of entheseal fibrocartilage in patients with psoriatic arthritis, athletes and healthy controls: a comparison study. Diagnostics (Basel). Published online April 17, 2023. doi:10.3390/diagnostics13081446