Detection of psoriatic arthritis in the finger joints by Thermoacoustic Tomography

Abstract

Psoriatic arthritis is also known as arthropathic psoriasis, and can ultimately lead to j oint destruction and functional disabilities. Current clinical imaging techniques to assess psoriatic arthritis have their own advantages and disadvantages. The demand for sensitive and efficient tools for the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis is on the rise. Here, as a novel imaging modality, thermoacoustic tomography was used to evaluate psoriatic arthritis. The preliminary result indicated that TAT images of the psoriatic arthritis joint showed differences in tissue structures and image contrast compared to the healthy ones. Therefore, the pilot study provides a foundation for TAT futher clinical validation to the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.