title: [The clinical electrophysiology and pathological characteristics of 15 cases of vasculitic neuropathy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the clinical features, electrophysiology and neuropathological characteristics of peripheral nerves in patients with vasculitic neuropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, electrophysiology and neuropathological characteristics of 15 patients with vasculitic neuropathy who underwent electrophysiology and sural nerve biopsy in our department from January 2009 to June 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 8 males and 7 females, aged from 38 to 82 years old, with a peripheral neuropathy course ranged from 0.5 month to 60 months. In the total of 15 patients, 3 patients were diagnosed as nonsystemic vasculitic neuropathy, while the other 12 patients were diagnosed as systemic vasculitis neuropathy (SVN) including 5 cases of primary systemic vasculitis and 7 cases of secondary systemic vasculitis. In patients diagnosed as primary systemic vasculitis, there were 2 cases of Churg-Strass syndrome (CSS) and 3 cases of ANCA associated vasculitis. In patients diagnosed as secondary systemic vasculitis, there were 1 case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 2 cases of sicca syndrome (SS), 3 cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 1 case of Behcet' s disease associated with thyroid papillary carcinoma, 1 case of hepatitis B and 1 case of RA-associated SS. For the pathological features of vasculitic neuropathy, type 1 lesion was found in 4 patients, type 2 lesion in 2 patients, and type 3 lesion in 9 patients. Axon degeneration was observed in 8 patients, while 7 patients manifested as axon degeneration associated with demyelination and local thickening of the perineurium was found in 2 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple mononeuropathy and asymmetric polyneuropathy are the common clinical presentations of vasculitic neuropathy. Electrodiagnostic testing almost always reveals the evidence of a predominantly axonal and sensorimotor process with associated demyelination presented in some cases. Sural nerve biopsy shows changes indicative of an axonopathy.
authors.forename: Yingshuang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Aping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Rongfang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China. Email: dsfan@sina.com.
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000473:pathology*