Renal angiogram abnormalities in a case of cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa

The existence of a limited cutaneous form of polyarteritis nodosa remains c ontroversial. It has been characterized and contrasted with systemic polyar teritis nodosa by running a chronic course and having a relatively good lon g-term prognosis. We report a case with clinical features fitting the crite ria for cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa but also showing evidence of associa ted renal aneurysms on selective visceral angiography. These findings sugge st that the differentiation between systemic and cutaneous forms might be a n oversimplification and we discuss the relationship between the two forms.