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Ultrasound in inflammatory conditions of subcutaneous and articular adipose tissue in the extremities Cover

Ultrasound in inflammatory conditions of subcutaneous and articular adipose tissue in the extremities

Journal of Ultrasonography
Volume 26 (2026): Issue 104 (April 2026)
By: Elena Gallardo,  Elena Julian,  Carmen Gonzalez,  Jose Luis Izquierdo and  Rosa Landeras  
Open Access
|Mar 2026
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1.

A. Schematic drawing of subcutaneous adipose tissue and its two layers: SSAT (white double arrow) and DSAT (hollow double arrow); perpendicular interlobular septa in the SSAT (white arrowheads) and oblique interlobular septa in the DSAT (grey arrowheads); superficial fascia (black arrowheads) and deep fascia (black stars); B. Corresponding ultrasound image at the upper aspect of the thigh

Fig. 2.

Septal panniculitis sonographic pattern. A. Schematic drawing; B. Corresponding ultrasound image showing an area with poorly defined margins, prominent fatty lobules, interlobular septal thickening, and decreased echogenicity; C. Power Doppler ultrasound showing subtly increased vascularity; D. Same case examined with a 22 Mhz probe, demonstrating interlobular septal thickening (>1 mm)

Fig. 3.

Lobular panniculitis sonographic pattern: A. Schematic drawing; B. Poorly defined area in the SSAT with increased echogenicity and evanescent inter-lobular septa (white arrowheads); C, D. Poorly defined area of increased echogenicity in the SAT, with loss of lobular architecture, blurring of the dermo-hypodermic junction, and increased internal vascularity

Fig. 4.

Erythema nodosum: A, B. Long- and short-axis sonograms showing a non-circumscribed area of increased echogenicity in the pretibial subcutaneous tissue, with thickened hypoechoic septa and indistinct dermo-hypodermal junction C. Hypervascularity with vessels following the septal anatomy

Fig. 5.

Morphea. Inflammatory phase: A. Extended field-of-view image of the lateral aspect of the leg, showing a lobular panniculitis sonographic pattern in the subcutaneous tissue (**) with muscular regional involvement (white arrows); B. Extended field-of-view image showing a mixed panniculitis sonographic pattern involving the entire thickness of the SAT at the lateral aspect of the thigh; C, D. Same case: B-mode and Power Doppler axial sonograms demonstrating a septal panniculitis pattern with septal hyperemia. Sclerotic phase: E. Increased thickness of the hypoechoic dermis (doble arrow) with thinning of the hypodermis and a fibrillar pattern (*); F. Atrophic phase: normal dermis and severe hypodermis thinning; note the absence of fatty lobules (*)

Fig. 6.

Blunt trauma panniculitis. Evolution after acute blunt trauma at the lateral aspect of the arm: A. Two days after trauma: predominantly lobular panniculitis sonographic pattern and round cysts (*); B. Four weeks later: decrease in the hyperechoic area and normalization of superficial hypodermal and dermal echogenicity; C. Three months after trauma: subtle hyperechogenicity around persistent cysts

Fig. 7.

Malignant panniculitis: A, B. B-mode and Power Doppler images of a subcutaneous nodule in the posterior aspect of the right arm in a 47-year-old woman with lymphoblastic leukemia, showing a poorly marginated area in the subcutaneous tissue with increased volume and echogenicity, hypoechoic lines, and central and peripheral hyperemia; C, D. B-mode and Power Doppler images of a subcutaneous nodule in the posterior aspect of the right arm in a 41-year-old man with panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, showing a mixed panniculitis pattern involving the DSAT with chaotic vascular signals; the SSAT and dermis are spared

Fig. 8.

Acute gout. A. Severe hyperechogenicity and loss of septal architecture in the adipose tissue surrounding the flexor digitorum longus tendon (*) in a 45-year-old man with acute pain and erythematous plaque at the medial aspect of the ankle. Spondyloarthropathy B. 37-year-old man with posterior ankle pain; B-mode image showing increased echogenicity of the posterolateral aspect of the ankle (dotted line); C. Comparative image of the contralateral ankle
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2026.0001 | Journal eISSN: 2451-070X | Journal ISSN: 2084-8404
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Language: English
Submitted on: Oct 1, 2025
Accepted on: Nov 28, 2025
Published on: Mar 10, 2026
Published by: MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS Sp. z o.o.
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year
Keywords:
adipose tissue,
inflammation,
panniculitis,
ultrasound
Related subjects:
Medicine,
Basic medical science,
Basic medical science, other

© 2026 Elena Gallardo, Elena Julian, Carmen Gonzalez, Jose Luis Izquierdo, Rosa Landeras, published by MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS Sp. z o.o.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 26 (2026): Issue 104 (April 2026)
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