title: [Histopathology of systemic vasculitis].
abstract: Inflammatory diseases of blood vessels can occur in any part of the vascular system with a variety of clinical and histopathological manifestations. Possible etiologies include primary systemic vasculitis, secondary vasculitis or isolated single organ vasculitis. Key criteria of morphological vasculitis work-up are vessel size, type of inflammation (granulomatous, necrotizing and/or leukocytoclastic) as well as presence or absence of immune complexes and extravascular inflammatory changes. Together with the typical organ involvement and serological data, these criteria constitute the basis of vasculitis classification. A histopathologically confirmed biopsy is the gold standard for a diagnosis of vasculitis, although a definite diagnosis can frequently not be made solely on histopathological grounds. Differential diagnostic overlaps and possible ways of discrimination are presented. In many cases, however, histopathology can only provide a definite diagnosis in combination with clinical and serological data. A conclusive morphological diagnosis depends on the right time of biopsy and selection of appropriate biopsy material.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pathologie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck, Germany. holl-ulrich@patho.uni-luebeck.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holl-Ulrich
mesh_terms: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D015267:Churg-Strauss Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D056647:Systemic Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic