VASCULITIS IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC-SCLEROSIS AND SEVERE DIGITAL ISCHEMIA REQUIRING AMPUTATION

Objectives-To document the incidence of histological vasculitis in amp utation specimens from patients with severe digital ischaemia secondar y to systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to look for an association between anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and severe digital ischaemia in SSc. Methods-This was a retrospective review of patients with SSc who under went amputation for digital ischaemia over a three year period. Result s-Five of nine patients had histological vasculitis, four of whom had aCL antibodies, although these were not present in high titre. Conclus ion-Vasculitis does occur in SSc, at least in that subgroup with sever e peripheral ischaemia. These findings could have implications for tre atment of this subgroup of patients with SSc.