Sonography of the Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: A Review

The diagnosis and management of primary cutaneous melanoma have traditionally relied on clinical and histological characteristics. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a significant growth in the usage of ultrasound for studying the cutaneous layers. Thus, the present paper focuses on the primary lesion, its sonographic characteristics, the potential benefits of early imaging, and the new developments on the ultrasound field applied to cutaneous melanoma

Correlación clínica de los hallazgos ultrasonográficos de las uñas y de las articulaciones interfalángicas distales en pacientes con psoriasis

Resumen Objetivo. Describir y correlacionar los hallazgos clínicos y los ultrasonográficos en las uñas y las articulaciones interfalángicas distales, en pacientes con psoriasis y en controles sanos. Diseño. Es un estudio observacional descriptivo. Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de edad, que acudieron a la consulta externa dermatológica del Hospital Universitario de San José. Se conformaron tres grupos de estudio: pacientes con psoriasis cutánea y compromiso ungular, pacientes con psoriasis sin compromiso ungular y pacientes sin enfermedad dermatológica. Mediante la ecografía, se determinaron el espesor del lecho ungular, el grosor de la placa, el índice de resistencia en las arterias del lecho ungular, los cambios osteotendinosos, las márgenes y las ondulaciones ungulares. Resultados. Se analizaron 31 sujetos: 11 con psoriasis y compromiso ungular (55 dedos), 10 casos con psoriasis sin compromiso ungular (50 dedos) y 10 controles sanos (50 dedos). La mediana del espesor del lecho ungular fue mayor entre los grupos con psoriasis (ungular, de 1,9 mm con rango intercuartílico de [RIQ] de 1,6 a 2,2; y cutánea, de 1,9 mm con RIQ de 1,7 a 2,1), comparada con la de los sujetos sanos (de 1,7 mm, con RIQ de 1,5 a 1,9) (p<0,001). Hubo diferencias significativas en el grosor de la placa ungular entre los tres grupos (p<0,001): con psoriasis ungular, fue de 0,7 mm con RIQ de 0,7 a 0,9; con psoriasis cutánea sin compromiso ungular, fue de 0,8 mm, con RIQ de 0,7 a 0,9; en sujetos sanos fue de 0,6 mm, con RIQ de 0,6 a 0,7; no se observaron diferencias en los valores del índice de resistencia arterial (p=0,12). Limitaciones. Aunque se incluyeron 155 unidades de análisis, estas corresponden a 31 pacientes. El estudio fue realizado con un equipo de alta resolución que alcanza una frecuencia máxima de 14 MHz. Conclusiones. En pacientes con psoriasis, la ultrasonografía del aparato ungular nos podría dar aportes que contribuirían a la toma de decisiones clínicas tempranas.Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the subclinical ultrasound fin-dings in nails and distal interphalangeal joints in psoriatic patients. Methods: It was a descriptive observational study. Three study groups were des-cribed: patients presenting cutaneous and nail psoriasis (CNP), psoriatic patients without psoriatic nails (CP), and healthy nails (HN).Ultrasound measurements of the nail bed and nail plate thickness, resistance index in nail bed arteries, osteotendinous changes, ungual plate margins and undulations were performed.Results: 31 subjects were analyzed: 11 cutaneous and nail psoriasis, 10 cutaneous and 10 healthy nails. The median thickness of the nail bed was higher amongst the groups with psoriasis (CNP 1.9mm IQR [1.6-2.2], CP 1.9mm IQR [1.7-2.1]) compared to HN (1.7mm IQR [1.5-1.9]), (p<0.001). The nail plate thickness had significant diffe-rences between groups, (p<0.001) (CNP 0.7 mm IQR [0.7-0.9], CP 0.8mm [0.7-0.9], HI 0.6mm [0.6-0.7]).Conclusions: In psoriatic patients, ultrasonography of the nail unit provides sub-clinical information that is not available from the physical examination. Rev Asoc Colomb Dermatol. 2015; 23: 3 (Julio-Septiembre), 179-186Correlación clínica de los hallazgos ultrasonográficos de las uña

International consensus conference recommendations on ultrasound education for undergraduate medical students

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide expert consensus recommendations to establish a global ultrasound curriculum for undergraduate medical students. Methods: 64 multi-disciplinary ultrasound experts from 16 countries, 50 multi-disciplinary ultrasound consultants, and 21 medical students and residents contributed to these recommendations. A modified Delphi consensus method was used that included a systematic literature search, evaluation of the quality of literature by the GRADE system, and the RAND appropriateness method for panel judgment and consensus decisions. The process included four in-person international discussion sessions and two rounds of online voting. Results: A total of 332 consensus conference statements in four curricular domains were considered: (1) curricular scope (4 statements), (2) curricular rationale (10 statements), (3) curricular characteristics (14 statements), and (4) curricular content (304 statements). Of these 332 statements, 145 were recommended, 126 were strongly recommended, and 61 were not recommended. Important aspects of an undergraduate ultrasound curriculum identified include curricular integration across the basic and clinical sciences and a competency and entrustable professional activity-based model. The curriculum should form the foundation of a life-long continuum of ultrasound education that prepares students for advanced training and patient care. In addition, the curriculum should complement and support the medical school curriculum as a whole with enhanced understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiological processes and clinical practice without displacing other important undergraduate learning. The content of the curriculum should be appropriate for the medical student level of training, evidence and expert opinion based, and include ongoing collaborative research and development to ensure optimum educational value and patient care. Conclusions: The international consensus conference has provided the first comprehensive document of recommendations for a basic ultrasound curriculum. The document reflects the opinion of a diverse and representative group of international expert ultrasound practitioners, educators, and learners. These recommendations can standardize undergraduate medical student ultrasound education while serving as a basis for additional research in medical education and the application of ultrasound in clinical practice

Sonographic outcomes of cosmetic procedures

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to review the sonographic outcomes of common cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures, taking advantage of recent developments in the field of ultrasound that opened its broad application to dermatologic practice. CONCLUSION. Because cosmetic procedures have increased dramatically in frequency, some procedures are being performed by unauthorized personnel and some agents are being used that are not approved by certifying institutions, leading to complications. Thus, documentation of these procedures is an important proposition. © American Roentgen Ray Society

Sonography of dermatologic emergencies

Dermatologic conditions may be the subjects of potential emergency consultations, and the knowledge of their sonographic appearance can facilitate an early diagnosis and management. In this pictorial essay, the sonographic dermatologic anatomy, technique, and conditions that can be supported by a prompt sonographic diagnosis are reviewed. The sonographic signs that may help diagnose these entities are discussed with a practical approach

Sonography of facial cutaneous basal cell carcinoma: A first-line imaging technique

Artículo de publicación IS

Identification and Complications of Cosmetic Fillers. Sonography First

Artículo de publicación ISICosmetic fillers are frequently used these days for enhancing beauty and to treat wrinkles or sagging skin. However, information on the history of injections may be difficult to obtain, and there is a growing number of reports on complications with these agents. In contrast to other imaging techniques, sonography has been successfully used for detecting and identifying common types of cosmetic fillers and has become the first-line imaging modality to deal with these exogenous components

Ultrasound in Sports and Occupational Dermatology

Chronic exposure to trauma, friction, or extreme conditions can generate cutaneous or ungual lesions in sports and certain occupations. Although some of these dermatologic conditions are diagnosed with a naked-eye examination, there are cases in which the provision of the underlying anatomic alterations can be helpful for the diagnosis and management. In comparison with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound has the highest axial resolution, which is critical for the observation of anatomic changes in the skin and nail. We review the ultrasound characteristics of frequent cutaneous and ungual lesions related to sports and occupations with a clinical correlation. The ultrasound features in some particular conditions such as "biker's and surfer's panniculitis," "fiddler's neck," piezogenic papules, and lipoatrophy semicircularis, among others, are discussed