New ultrasound techniques in clinical dermatology

Because of technological advancements, including the development of very high-frequency ultrasound, dermatologic ultrasound has become extremely important in the diagnosis and treatment of certain dermatological pathologies, such as calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe, in-transit metastases, and psoriatic arthritis. Calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe can be difficult to diagnose, especially in children, because of the presence of both the known calcifying forms and other patterns that were unknown in the past yet which can now be recognised with high-frequency ultrasound. For psoriatic arthritis, ultrasound can be used to perform an early diagnosis and to evaluate the response to medical treatment, whereas for in-transit metastases, it can be used to evaluate the response to palliative treatment, improving the quality of life of the patient. In this chapter, we address the use of ultrasound in evaluating these three pathologies, which in our opinion represent new and important areas of interest, worthy of more in-depth exploration.