Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Multimodal ultrasound in the assessment of muscle involvement in systemic sclerosis patients: results from a bicentric study
Authors' conclusion
Ultrasound demonstrated its potential for detecting early, clinically significant changes in muscle mass, quality and stiffness in SSc patients.
Study context
- Population
- Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients without inflammatory myositis and healthy controls (HCs), Jesi and Leeds; US of the quadriceps muscle
- Participants
- 81 vs 24
- Exposure
- SSc patients vs healthy controls
- SScn = 81
- HCsn = 24reference
- Outcome
- Quadriceps muscle mass, quality and stiffness on multimodal US, age-adjusted
Methodological detailsbicentric
- Bicentric
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Muscle echogenicity (modified Heckmatt scale (mHS) and GSA) increased in SSc vs HCs (GSA in Jesi cohort)
- P < 0.001
- Shear-wave elastography (SWE) values lower in SSc vs HCs (Jesi cohort)
- P < 0.001
- No significant difference in muscle mass
- P = 0.433
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlations of US measures with strength, physical performance and disability
- Higher quadriceps muscle (QM) thickness correlated with better strength, better physical performance and lower disability
- Increased echogenicity (low muscle quality) correlated with poorer strength, worse physical performance and higher disability
- Higher SWE values (Jesi cohort) correlated with better strength, better performance and lower disability
- 2D SWE (Leeds cohort) showed reduced strength but no link to disability
Original publication
Multimodal ultrasound in the assessment of muscle involvement in systemic sclerosis patients: results from a bicentric study. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 6 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →