Objective recognition of vascular lesions in Mondor's disease by immunohistochemistry.
BACKGROUND
Mondor's disease (MD) is considered an inflammatory condition of superficial vasculitis that develops mainly in the anterolateral thoracoabdominal wall. The pathogenesis of the disease has been controversial, however, because of the lack of histopathologic methods for differentiating between the small vein and the lymphatic vessel.


OBJECTIVE
To objectively examine the origin of vascular lesions in MD, we investigated the endothelial cells of their blood and lymphatic vessels.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical examinations were carried out on specimens involving vascular lesions from 16 patients with MD, using antibodies against von Willebrand factor and human lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1, which specifically discriminate between lymphatic and blood vessels.


RESULTS
The histopathologic findings clearly showed thrombophlebitis in 14 patients, a lesion originating in the lymphatic vessel in one patient, and sclerosis that consisted of the artery together with veins in another.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that almost all cases of MD are due to thrombophlebitis, with a small minority due to lymphangitis or other conditions. We believe this study will contribute to the better recognition of the factual changes in the condition designated MD.
Ichinose
A
A
Department of Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. ichise@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Fukunaga
A
A
Terashi
H
H
Nishigori
C
C
Tanemura
A
A
Nakajima
T
T
Akishima-Fukasawa
Y
Y
Ishikawa
Y
Y
Ishii
T
T
D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004729:Endothelium, Lymphatic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008205:Lymphangitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014680:Veins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism*
C119248:LYVE1 protein, human; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D014841:von Willebrand Factor