title: [Differential diagnosis of clinical relevance].
abstract: Approximately one quarter of all patients with leg ulcers do not have a "vascular" ulcer, i.e. an ulcer of venous, mixed venous-arterial, or arterial origin. The differential diagnosis encompasses approximately 70 entities, amongst a selection of particular clinical relevance. Martorell hypertensive-ischemic leg ulcer and its two "imitators" pyoderma gangrenosum and necrotizing vasculitides of the skin, necrotic skin infections (e.g., ecthyma, tropical ulcer, and others), chronic wounds caused by physical trauma (contusion (deep dissecting hematoma), radiotherapy or cryotherapy of skin cancers at the leg), leg ulcers in the context of congenital diseases (e. g., Klinefelter syndrome or sickle cell anemia), skin ulcers caused by medical toxicity (hydroxyurea, anagrelide, methotrexate), and last not least ulcerating skin cancer at the legs, primary or secondary in an area of chronic inflammation. Clinical presentations and a pragmatical algorhythm to diagnosis and treatment of these entities are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Dermatologische Klinik, Universitäts Spital Zürich. juerg.hafner@usz.ch
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hafner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Böni
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calcagni
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jacomella
authors.forename: Severin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Läuchli
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rüttimann
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Siegrist
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stössel
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*