Acute lipase-induced panniculitis in rats with ligated veins of the hindlimb: a contribution to the role of acute panniculitis as a precursor of lipodermatosclerosis of venous disease

The authors studied the effect of ligation of the femoral and saphenous vei ns on the evolution of lipase injection-induced subcutaneous fibrosis and i nflammation in the pars' hindlimbs. The superficial muscular fascia was thi ckened and the number of veins was increased 3 days and 3 weeks after vein ligation; both abnormalities disappeared 6 weeks postoperatively. Vein liga tion did not quantitatively affect fascial thickening or fibrosing pannicul itis in hindlimbs injected with lipase 6 weeks prior to sacrifice. The resu lts contradict the proposition that lipase-induced injury of rats' subcutan eous tissues compromised by venous stasis may lead to a persistent chronic inflammation and fibrosis of the subcutaneous-fascial complex duplicating l ipodermatosclerosis in man. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All righ ts reserved.