Advancing Imaging Techniques to Diagnose Psoriatic Disease

In psoriatic diseases, symptoms first appear in the skin before the disease begins affecting the musculoskeletal system. In most cases, this progression from cutaneous psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis is slow. However, non-specific symptoms or symptoms that aren’t severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria can delay diagnosis and treatment. This makes it difficult to detect and treat disease early.

However, advances in imaging techniques can help overcome these challenges. Such techniques include:

• Fluorescence optical imaging: Inflamed tissues accumulate fluorescent contrast agents more easily than healthy tissues so this technique can identify inflamed areas including joints.
• High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography: This technique can help identify lesions at points where tendons and ligaments attach to the bone. These lesions are predictive of psoriasis patients at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.
• Multispectral optoacoustic tomography:  This method combines ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging to measure molecules involved in inflammation such as levels of hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, collagen, and lipids.
• Artificial intelligence: AI can help quantify structural damage to predict disease outcome. However, most studies involving AI are in their early stages.

Early diagnosis of these diseases can help stop disease progression and avoid irreversible joint damage. Imaging techniques can be used as part of a precision medicine approach to tailor treatments on an individual basis.

Citation

Witte, T.,  et al. (2025). Advances in precision medicine in imaging and therapeutic strategies for psoriatic disease. Autoimmunity reviews, 24(8), 103839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2025.103839