Ultrasound evaluation of clobetasol propionate 0.05% foam application in psoriatic and healthy skin: a pilot study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate through ultrasound imaging the response to treatment of twice and once daily application of clobetasol propionate 0.05% foam on psoriatic skin as well as the atrophogenic potential of once daily application of the foam on healthy skin. The study included a total of 40 participants, 30 affected by Psoriasis vulgaris and 10 healthy volunteers. Patients with psoriasis were branched in two groups of 15 subjects: in the first group, clobetasol propionate 0.05% foam was applied twice daily for up to 2 weeks on targeted plaques, in the second group, it was applied once daily for up to 4 weeks. Ten healthy adult volunteers were instructed to apply the foam to a 4 x 4 cm area on the volar aspect of the forearm once daily for 4 weeks. Ultrasound evaluation was performed in all treated areas using a 20-MHz B-mode high-resolution system (EasyScan Echo (R), Business Enterprise, Trapani, Italy). At the end of the study, ultrasound showed a reduction of psoriatic skin thickness, with values equal to those of adjacent healthy skin, in all treated plaques. No differences in treatment efficacy between the two groups of patients with psoriasis were observed. As regards the healthy group, no ultrasound variations in skin thickness were observed at the end of the study. Ultrasound imaging, allowing an objective and reproducible measurement of skin thickness, is a useful technique for a noninvasive evaluation both of the efficacy of psoriasis treatment and of the potential side effects of topical corticosteroids