Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Dermatoscopy limitation and the critical role of capillaroscopy in the evaluation of systemic sclerosis and Raynaud’s phenomenon among African American Veterans
Authors' conclusion
In conclusion, dermatoscopy resulted in a high rate of uninterpretable examinations in patients with RP, particularly among African American Veterans.
Study context
- Population
- United States (US) Veterans undergoing evaluation for CTD-related Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), TVHS Hospital; 28% self-identified as African American38 Veterans with RP assessed
- Participants
- 11 vs 31
- Comparison
- 200X dermatoscope (smartphone focus) vs 250X Smart G-Scope USB capillaroscope (automatic focus) for nailfold evaluation
- Fitzpatrick IV–VIn = 11
- Fitzpatrick I–IIIn = 31reference
- Outcome
- Interpretability (image clarity) of nailfold evaluation by skin pigmentation
Methodological detailssingle-centre, two devices, two independent expert readers
- Single-centre
- Two devices
- Two independent expert readers
Performance
As reported in the abstract
Blurry images with dermatoscopy
Further findings
Interpretability with USB-capillaroscope
- USB-capillaroscope improved interpretability across the entire cohort, especially in skin tones IV–VI
SD-pattern detected by USB-capillaroscope in studies uninterpretable with dermatoscope
- SD-pattern detected (of 5 uninterpretable studies)
- 4
Original publication
Dermatoscopy limitation and the critical role of capillaroscopy in the evaluation of systemic sclerosis and Raynaud’s phenomenon among African American Veterans. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 5 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →