OBJECTIVE: To describe ultrasonographic findings of localized cutaneous scleroderma and correlating them with clinical findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three lesions of localized cutaneous scleroderma in 21 patients were evaluated with a Logiq 700 equipment coupled with a 6-14 MHz linear transducer. The disease stage (athrophic or inflammatory) was evaluated by a dermatologist, and the ultrasonographic findings (skin thickness and echogenicity) for both the affected and adjacent healthy regions were evaluated by a radiologist. Seven of the cases underwent post-treatment follow-up. RESULTS: All the affected regions presented loss of the normal ultrasonographic pattern of the dermis. Cases with clinically atrophic lesions (52.2%; 12/23) corresponded to reduction in the thickness and increase in the echogenicity of the dermis, and clinically inflammatory lesions (47.8%; 11/23) corresponded to decrease in echogenicity and increase in the thickness of the dermis. Post-treatment follow-up demonstrated alterations in the dermis thickness. CONCLUSION: The ultrasonographic findings allow the correlation between increase in the thickness/decrease in echogenicity of the dermis with the inflammatory phase of the disease, and decrease of the thickness/increase in echogenicity of the dermis with the atrophic phase. Also, it could be observed that it is possible to quantify the thickness of the dermis, utilizing this information associated with the clinical evaluation in the post-treatment follow-up.
Localized scleroderma; Ultrasonography; Dermis
