title: Ultrasonographical evaluation of the Achilles' tendon in psoriasis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psoriasis is a common dermatological disease with erythematous plaques where articular and extra articular findings (tenosynovitis and enthesitis) may well accompany. The aim of this current study was to evaluate the Achilles' tendon of psoriasis patients with ultrasonography.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 30 psoriasis patients and 20 healthy controls. Ankle ultrasonography was performed with posterior approach, the joint in neutral or in a little dorsiflexed position. The statistical analysis was carried out with a Student's t-test and Spearman correlation tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of Achilles' tendon thickness of two groups were compared: the psoriatic group was found to have thicker tendon measurements (P = 0.00). The tendons of the patients with radiologically proven enthesopathy were found to be even thicker (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We encourage the use of diagnostic ultrasonography for evaluation of enthesopathy manifestations in psoriasis patients as an adjunct to conventional methods owing to its convenience and promising results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. lozcakar@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ozçakar
authors.forename: Alp
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Inanici
authors.forename: Bayram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaymak
authors.forename: Cansel Köse
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Gürer
authors.forename: Fikret
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kölemen
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler