Ann Ital Med Int. 1999 Apr-Jun;14(2):79-85.
The work proposes a set of diagnostic tests and relative clinical scores for the staging and follow-up of patients with systemic sclerosis. Thirty-one consecutive patients (30 females, 1 male, age range 17-65 years) affected by systemic sclerosis, according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria for classification of this disease, were enrolled in the study at the time of their first admission to the Department of Internal Medicine in Genoa. The following battery of tests was utilized: nailfold capillary videomicroscopy, esophageal manometry and pH-metry, lung vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, intrarenal duplex Doppler sonography, echocardiography and skin plicometry. Good compliance by the patients was obtained for the tests we used. We found that nailfold capillary videomicroscopy and plicometry scores were statistically associated each other as well as with the scores measuring esophagus and/or lung function. The use of wide range of diagnostic procedures, such as those proposed in this paper, allows appropriate definition of the stage of patients with systemic sclerosis. The use of nailfold capillaroscopy and skin plicometry as the simplest tests for monitoring patients is suggested: the scores derived from these procedures are statistically associated with some internal organ status and could be useful in the evaluation of therapeutical results.
该研究提出了一套用于系统性硬化症患者分期和随访的诊断测试及相关临床评分。根据美国风湿病学会制定的该病分类标准，31例连续的系统性硬化症患者（30例女性，1例男性，年龄范围17 - 65岁）在首次入住热那亚内科时被纳入研究。采用了以下一系列测试：甲襞毛细血管视频显微镜检查、食管测压和pH测量、肺肺活量和一氧化碳弥散量、肾内双功多普勒超声检查、超声心动图和皮肤皱襞测量。患者对我们所使用的测试配合良好。我们发现甲襞毛细血管视频显微镜检查评分和皮肤皱襞测量评分之间以及与测量食管和/或肺功能的评分之间在统计学上相关。使用本文所提出的广泛的诊断程序，能够对系统性硬化症患者的病情阶段进行恰当界定。建议使用甲襞毛细血管镜检查和皮肤皱襞测量作为监测患者的最简单测试：从这些检查得出的评分与某些内脏器官状态在统计学上相关，并且可能有助于评估治疗效果。
