Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Multimodal imaging evaluation of pre-systemic sclerosis patients presenting with Raynaud’s Phenomenon from a reference microcirculatory clinic versus healthy controls: a cross-sectional study
Authors' conclusion
Dermal, functional and structural microvascular abnormalities are detectable in pre-SSc in the absence of clinical skin thickening or overt organ involvement.
Study context
- Population
- Pre-SSc patients with RP from the Ghent University (hospital) Raynaud's clinic and matched healthy controls (HC)
- Participants
- 20 vs 20
- Exposure
- Pre-SSc patients vs matched healthy controls
- Pre-SScn = 20
- HCn = 20reference
- Outcome
- Dermal and microvascular abnormalities by multimodal imaging (HFUS dermal thickness, NVC, laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) peripheral blood perfusion)
Methodological detailsage-, sex- and BMI-matched, single-centre, generalised linear mixed models
- Age-, sex- and BMI-matched
- Single-centre
- Generalised linear mixed models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Mean dermal thickness (HFUS)
- Effect of group on mean dermal thickness (DT)
- p = 0.011
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Pre-SSc | HC | Mean difference (perfusion units) (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Volar) fingertip PBP by LASCA, reduced in pre-SSc | 139 ± 12 perfusion units | 200 ± 12 perfusion units | 61 (38–85) | P < 0.001 | |
| −50050100Difference, perfusion units (linear scale) |
- Mean DT by high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS), right fingers
- P = 0.012
- Mean DT by HFUS, left fingers
- P = 0.015
- Mean DT by HFUS, left forearm
- P = 0.035
- Capillary density by nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC), lower in pre-systemic sclerosis (pre-SSc)
- P < 0.001
- Microhaemorrhages by NVC, increased in pre-SSc
- P = 0.032
Giant capillaries and scleroderma pattern by NVC
- Exclusive to pre-SSc
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Multimodal imaging evaluation of pre-systemic sclerosis patients presenting with Raynaud’s Phenomenon from a reference microcirculatory clinic versus healthy controls: a cross-sectional study. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 3 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →