New Advances in Ultrasound Diagnostics for Psoriatic Arthritis Save

Two pivotal studies led by an international team of rheumatology experts will be presented at ACR Convergence 2025, showcasing major strides in the ultrasound-based diagnosis of enthesitis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

The first study, titled “The Development and Validation of a Diagnostic Ultrasound Enthesitis Score (DUET) for Psoriatic Arthritis”, introduces a novel scoring system designed to improve the accuracy of PsA diagnosis. The DUET tool, developed across 17 global centers, uses standardized ultrasound imaging of 16 entheseal sites to differentiate PsA from other musculoskeletal conditions. The validation cohort demonstrated strong diagnostic performance, with age-stratified models enhancing accuracy further.

The second study, “Defining Sonographic Enthesitis in Psoriatic Arthritis: Developing a Data- and Expert-Driven Definition for Inflammatory Enthesitis at the Single Enthesis Level”, addresses a critical gap in rheumatology: the lack of a validated definition for inflammatory enthesitis at the individual site level. Using expert consensus and quantitative analysis of 90 ultrasound scans, researchers established a robust framework for identifying “definite inflammatory enthesitis,” aiming to reduce misclassification and improve patient selection for clinical trials.

“These studies represent a leap forward in precision imaging for PsA,” said Lihi Eder, MD, PhD lead investigator and rheumatologist at Women’s College Hospital at the University of Toronto. “By standardizing how we define and score enthesitis, we can diagnose earlier, treat more effectively, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”

Both abstracts will be presented during the Imaging of Rheumatic Diseases and Advances in Psoriatic Disease sessions at ACR Convergence 2025 in Chicago, IL.