Skin Endo Diagnosis

High-frequency ultrasound could be key for the early diagnosis of this rare type of endometriosis.

Key Points

Highlights:

High-frequency ultrasound could be a useful tool in the early diagnosis of cutaneous endometriosis.

Importance:

Although further testing is needed, the technique could be used as a reliable non-invasive method for diagnosing this rare condition. 

Key results:

Dermoscopy showed a greyish background and a brownish pigmentation 

High-frequency ultrasound showed well-demarcated areas corresponding to ectopic endometrial tissue.

Reflectance confocal microscopy only showed alterations of the epidermis.

Limitations of the study:

Only one woman was tested during the study. More research is needed to test the utility of the technique in the early diagnosis of cutaneous endometriosis. 

Lay Summary

High-frequency ultrasound can be very useful for the early diagnosis of cutaneous endometriosis according to a study published in the journal Skin Research and Technology.

The diagnostic tool could be used in patients who have unusual cyclical pain even before skin lesions appear.

Cutaneous endometriosis is very rare. It is endometriosis that occurs in the skin usually in within scar tissue from previous surgery or injury.

In the present study, researchers led by Dr. J.L. Perrot at the University Hospital of St Etienne in France used different imaging tools to assess their usefulness for the early diagnosis of cutaneous endometriosis. 

The tools they used were high-frequency ultrasound, and in vivo and ex vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). They analyzed one patient who had developed pigmented cutaneous endometriosis on her C-section scar. They also analyzed the endometriosis histologically or at the tissue level. 

While RCM only showed changes at the level of the outer skin layer, researchers were able to see well-demarcated areas corresponding to ectopic endometrial tissue with the high-frequency ultrasound. 

“High-frequency ultrasound could represent a very useful tool for an early diagnosis of [cutaneous endometriosis],” the researchers wrote. They added: “ its usefulness could be tested in patients with unusual cyclical pain, even before skin lesion appearance”.

Research Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29388271