Photoacoustic/Ultrasound Imaging in Patients of Dermatomyositis With Calcinosis Cutis: Characteristic Findings and Treatment Response Evaluation

A multimodal photoacoustic-ultrasound (PA/US) system was integrated into a high-end commercial US platform, enabling real-time acquisition of grayscale imaging, color Doppler (CDUS), and dual-wavelength photoacoustic (PAI) data. The PA/US images were acquired using a hand-held probe integrated optical devices and US transducers. Researchers plan to recruit participants of DM with calcinosis cutis from the department of rheumatology in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The patients are scheduled to receive multi-modality PA/US imaging examinations, which integrated gray scale ultrasound (GSUS), ultra-micro-angiography (UMA) and PAI to realize visualization and assessment of subcutaneous soft tissues in morphology, hemodynamics, blood flow and oxygenation. This clinical trial aims to address three key objectives: the establishment of a non-invasive PA/US imaging evaluation method for DM skin lesions, the applicaiton to assess DM disease severity, and the use of PAI to monitor the treatment response.