title: [Cutaneous microcirculation in systemic sclerosis. Morpho-functional research using capillaroscopy and laser-Doppler].
abstract: Our previous researches proved that, in patients affected by Raynaud disease, microcirculatory alterations were greater in those cases in which the small vessels showed evocative appearances of a sclerodermatous connectivopathy. In this study we evaluated cutaneous microvasculature in 18 patients suffering from clear systemic sclerosis, compared with a group of 16 subjects affected by primitive Raynaud disease and a group of healthy subjects. We used videocapillaroscopy and laser-Doppler fluxmetry for morphological and functional study respectively. In patients affected by systemic sclerosis the rest flow was clearly reduced and morphological pattern of cutaneous small vessels deranged. The response to ischemic test allowed us to subdivide the skin-bounds in two subgroups: "no responders" 8 subjects (44%), in which reactive hyperaemia was completely absent, "responders" 10 patients (56%) in which the hyperaemia was completely overlapped with that of the two other groups, but with longer reaction times. In skinbounds the capillaroscopic pattern was clearly severe in comparison with other two groups (18.8 +/- 5.7 vs 5.7 +/- 2.3 and 3.6 +/- 1). Thus, in advanced stage of the pathology, is microangiopathy (in its tromboischemic and inflammatory aspects) that plays a very important role in the development of organ damage. Therefore, all those clinical and instrumental tests which may allow a differential early diagnosis between a primitive and a secondary Raynaud phenomenon be done, for its prognostic value in connection with the appearance of systemic sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Scienze Cardiovascolari e Respiratorie, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dragagna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saponaro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maffey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cangelosi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply
vernacular_title: Il microcircolo cutaneo nella sclerosi sistemica. Ricerche morfofunzionali mediante capillaroscopia e laser-Doppler.