Enthesitis in Psoriatic Arthritis, the Sonographic Perspective

Purpose of Review To provide an overview of the ultrasound (US) studies focusing on enthesitis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Recent Findings Last-generation US equipment has demonstrated the ability to detect subtle morphostructural and vascular abnormalities at entheseal level. US is able to identify pathologic changes in both classical (i.e., the site of attachment of tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules into the bone) and functional entheses (i.e., anatomical regions where tendons or ligaments wrap around bony pulleys). US has the potential to be the first-line method in the assessment of enthesitis. In the present review we critically discussed the current definitions of US enthesitis, the scoring systems, and the main fields of application (i.e., the detection of enthesitis in PsA and psoriasis, the identification of different disease subsets, and the assessment of response to treatment).

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of using ultrasound in studying enthesitis in psoriatic arthritis, emphasizing its ability to detect subtle abnormalities and potential to be a first-line method for assessment. Discussions include definitions, scoring systems, and applications in detecting enthesitis, identifying disease subsets, and assessing treatment response.