The contribution of ultrasonography and sonoelastography in assessment of myositis

Abstract

Aims: To analyze the utility of ultrasonography (US) in the assessment of inflammatory myopathies, and of sonoelastography in the assessment of the elasticity of skeletal muscle in myositis.

Material and methods: The study group comprised 24 patients with musculoskeletal pathology examined using Hitachi 8500 EUB equipment with a 6.5-13 MHz transducer and software for elastography. The images were analyzed in conjunction with clinical and biochemical data. Using dedicated software for color information from the elastographic images, the average values for color intensity, hue and dispersion were calculated.

Results: After the correlation of US images with clinical and paraclinical data the highest average values for color parameters were encountered on the superior third of the thigh. There was a proportional concordance between the average values of the color parameters and serum creatine kinase and serum lactic dehydrogenase and there was no significant agreement between the average values of the color parameters and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive rheumatoid factor or positive antinuclear antibody.

Conclusions: The correlation between the quantitative colour parameters from the elastographic images and the laboratory studies suggest that sonoelastography could be an important tool in the management of the patients with myositis.