Vasculitis in patients with systemic sclerosis and severe digital ischaemia requiring amputation.
OBJECTIVE
To document the incidence of histological vasculitis in amputation specimens from patients with severe digital ischaemia secondary to systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to look for an association between anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and severe digital ischaemia in SSc.


METHODS
This was a retrospective review of patients with SSc who underwent amputation for digital ischaemia over a three year period.


RESULTS
Five of nine patients had histological vasculitis, four of whom had aCL antibodies, although these were not present in high titre.


CONCLUSIONS
Vasculitis does occur in SSc, at least in that subgroup with severe peripheral ischaemia. These findings could have implications for treatment of this subgroup of patients with SSc.
Rheumatic Diseases Centre, University of Manchester, Hope Hospital, Salford, United Kingdom.
A L
AL
Herrick
P K
PK
Oogarah
A J
AJ
Freemont
R
R
Marcuson
M
M
Haeney
M I
MI
Jayson
D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000097:blood; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin