Ultrasonographical evaluation of the Achilles' tendon in psoriasis patients.

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a common dermatological disease with erythematous plaques where articular and extra articular findings (tenosynovitis and enthesitis) may well accompany. The aim of this current study was to evaluate the Achilles' tendon of psoriasis patients with ultrasonography.

METHODS

The study comprised 30 psoriasis patients and 20 healthy controls. Ankle ultrasonography was performed with posterior approach, the joint in neutral or in a little dorsiflexed position. The statistical analysis was carried out with a Student's t-test and Spearman correlation tests.

RESULTS

The mean values of Achilles' tendon thickness of two groups were compared: the psoriatic group was found to have thicker tendon measurements (P = 0.00). The tendons of the patients with radiologically proven enthesopathy were found to be even thicker (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

We encourage the use of diagnostic ultrasonography for evaluation of enthesopathy manifestations in psoriasis patients as an adjunct to conventional methods owing to its convenience and promising results.