TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with systemic sclerosis, spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) provides a noninvasive measure of skin involvement that aligns with established assessments, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in The Lancet Rheumatology.
Hung Vo, M.D., from the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and colleagues examined SFDI as a systemic sclerosis skin outcome measure in a single-center, prospective cohort study. In the pilot phase, participants completed one study visit with SFDI, modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) assessment, and optional forearm biopsy. Participants had a baseline visit in the expanded protocol phase, followed by visits once every three months during the first year and every six months for three years thereafter.
The final analysis included 49 participants with systemic sclerosis and 25 controls; biopsy samples were obtained from 34 and 16, respectively. The researchers found that across all mRSS strata, diffuse reflectance (Rd) and reduced scattering coefficient (μs') were significantly lower in the systemic sclerosis cohort than the control cohort, including sites where mRSS was 0. There was a decrease in Rd and in μs' for each 1-point increase in local mRSS (β = –0.0028 and –0.0158, respectively). Weak-to-moderate correlations were seen for SFDI with mRSS (r ranged from –0.38 to –0.48), while moderate correlations were seen with histological fibrosis (r ranged from –0.34 to –0.52).
"By successfully distinguishing disease states, detecting subclinical involvement, and tracking longitudinal change, SFDI emerges as a promising next-generation biomarker for clinical trials and routine patient monitoring," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
