Nosha Farhadfar; Najla El Jurdi; Kelsey K. Baker; Shramana Ghosh; Mongoljin Bat-Erdene; Heidi Chen; Ruchi Sahu; Rachel Weiss; Jerry Mi; Gabriela Desatnik; Lacey R. Williams; Eric R. Tkaczyk; Stephanie J. Lee (2026).Ìý.ÌýBlood Advances, 10(4), 1145–1152.Ìý
This study evaluates a device called theÌýMyoton, which is used to measure how stiff or elastic the skin is, as a way to assessÌýsclerotic chronic graft-versus-host disease (scGVHD)—a condition where donor immune cells attack the patient’s body after a transplant, causing the skin to harden and thicken. Because there is a need for reliable, objective tools to track this condition, the researchers tested how consistent the Myoton’s measurements are when used by different people and at different times.
They measured two key properties of the skin—oscillation frequencyÌý(related to tissue stiffness) andÌýrelaxation time(how quickly tissue returns to normal after being deformed)—at multiple body sites in 36 patients. The results showed excellent consistency between different observers during the same session, meaning different users obtained very similar results. Measurements were also consistent when repeated by the same observer at different times (about six weeks apart), showing good reliability over time.
Importantly, averaging measurements across multiple body sites for each patient gave more consistent results than relying on any single location. Overall, the study demonstrates that the Myoton is a reliable and reproducible tool for measuring skin changes in scGVHD, especially when used to assess overall patient-level skin properties rather than individual spots.
Visual Abstract