Introduction: The aim of this presentation is to highlight the usefulness of high-frequency ultrasound (18 MHz) in localized morphea for: identification of the lesion, guided skin biopsy, quantification of skin thickness, evaluating the severity by measuring total echogenicity.
Case presentation: A 62-year-old Caucasian woman was referred to the Dermatology Department for a well-circumscribed indurate plaque localized on the right side of the abdominal wall and thigh. On clinical examination, a large well-delimited, indurate plaque, silvery in the center and surrounded by a purplish-red halo (lilac ring) was noticed on the right side of the abdomen and thigh. An ultrasound-guided punch biopsy was carried out and the microscopic examination of the biopsy revealed moderate interstitial inflammatory infiltrate together with abundant collagen bundles in the dermis and subcutis and a diagnosis of localized morphea (scleroderma) was established. Ultrasonography was performed and skin thickness was measured using high-frequency US (18 MHz) and was found to be 3.1 mm to 3.9 mm.
Conclusion: high frequency ultrasound is an inexpensive, easy to perform, noninvasive method, replacing surgical biopsy and offering a valuable quantification of skin fibrosis.
