| Diagnosis of Morphea | ||
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| Morphea is a Clinical Diagnosis | ||
| Morphea is usually diagnosed by clinical examination. | ||
| Photos of Morphea | ||
| ISN Photo Repository: Morphea Photos. ISN. | ||
| Skin Biopsy for Morphea | ||
| It is often confirmed by skin biopsy. Skin biopsies are usually a very tiny sample of tissue and the procedure is often very quick, easy and with minimal discomfort. Ultrasound has also been found to be useful for the diagnosis of Localized Scleroderma (such as morphea). | ||
| Antibodies and Other Blood Tests in Morphea | ||
| It is not necessary to have antibodies to substantiate a diagnosis of morphea. However antibodies are sometimes found in patients with morphea. Levels of serum manganese superoxide may be markers for disease activity, and may indicate the extent of skin involvement. | ||
| Anti-DNA Topoisomerase II Alpha Autoantibodies in Localized Scleroderma. The present results indicate that anti-topo II alpha Ab is a major autoantibody in LSc, which is distinct from anti-topo I Ab in SSc. Furthermore, our results suggest that the high prevalence of anti-topo II alpha Ab in LSc and exclusive presence of anti-topo I Ab in SSc suggest that Abs to enzymes of the topoisomerase family are associated with fibrotic disorders including LSc and SSc. Ikuko Hayakawa. ACR Conference Oct. 2003 (Also see: Localized Scleroderma: Linear ; and Antibodies) | ||
| Infrared Thermography | ||
| Juvenile-onset localized scleroderma activity detection by infrared thermography. Our results demonstrate that thermography is a promising diagnostic tool when associated with clinical examination in discriminating disease activity, as long as it is applied to lesions without severe atrophy of the skin and subcutaneous fat. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether thermography can predict the future progression of lesions. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2002 Oct;41(10):1178-1182 PubMed | ||
| Ultrasound | ||
| Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in the diagnosis of skin diseases. We conclude that UBM is a non-invasive diagnostic tool in dermatology which can be used to give valuable information about disease progress and the effectiveness of therapy. PubMed. Eur J Dermatol. 2007 Oct 19;17(6):469-475. (Also see: Psoriasis ) |
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