In a study by Zhong et al. (2025), lacrimal gland ultrasonography (LGUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE) were evaluated as diagnostic tools for primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS). The study included 35 PSS patients and 23 healthy controls. LGUS was used to assess the structure of the lacrimal gland, while SWE measured gland elasticity. The findings showed that LGUS, Emean (elasticity mean), and shear wave velocity (SWV) were significantly higher in PSS patients compared to controls. The optimal LGUS cut-off for diagnosing PSS was a score of 2, with an 80% sensitivity and 69.6% specificity.
For SWE, the best thresholds for PSS diagnosis were 9.4 kPa with a sensitivity of 65.7% and specificity of 82.6%, and 1.7 m/s with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 91.3%. These tools not only distinguished PSS patients from healthy individuals but also correlated with disease activity and prognosis, as indicated by the european league against rheumatism sjögren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI), hypergammaglobulinemia, and hypocomplementemia. Thus, LGUS and SWE could guide clinical management of PSS.
