1/10. Arteritis and brachial plexus neuropathy as delayed complications of radiation therapy.radiation-induced arteritis of large vessels and brachial plexus neuropathy are uncommon delayed complications of local radiation therapy. We describe a 66-year-old woman with right arm discomfort, weakness, and acrocyanosis that developed 21 years after local radiation for breast adenocarcinoma. Arteriography revealed arteritis, with ulcerated plaque formation at the subclavian-axillary artery junction, consistent with radiation-induced disease, and diffuse irregularity of the axillary artery. electromyography showed a chronic brachial plexopathy. The patient's acrocyanosis, thought to be due to digital embolization from her vascular disease, improved with antiplatelet therapy. The concurrent combination of radiation-induced arteritis and brachial plexopathy is uncommon but should be considered in patients presenting with upper extremity pain or weakness after radiation therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/10. A 22-year-old woman with lower limb arteriopathy. Buerger's disease, or methamphetamine- or cannabis-induced arteritis?This case report describes a 22-year-old woman with severe arterial ischemia leading to claudication and ulceration of the feet, presumably due to long-term abuse of amphetamine derivates, such as "speed" or "ecstasy," and cannabis. Known causes for peripheral occlusive disease, such as atherosclerosis, vasculitis, or collagen vascular disease, were excluded. Laboratory test results did not show evidence of risk factors for thromboembolic diseases. Conventional angiography and magnetic resonance-angiography showed occlusions of medium- and small-sized arteries of both calves and feet. In the past, vasculitis-like arteriopathy was attributed to the abuse of amphetamines as well as of cannabis. However, amphetamines have been reported to be associated with necrotizing vasculitis mainly of cerebral arteries. Therefore, the abuse of methamphetamine or "ecstasy" also appears to play a role in the development of peripheral arterial occlusions and seems to have broad similarities with Buerger's disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/10. Bilateral extensive cerebral infarction and mesenteric ischemia associated with segmental arterial mediolysis in two young women.Segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) is a rare non-atherosclerotic non-inflammatory vascular disease that affects mainly muscular arteries of the splanchnic and cerebral territories. Reported herein are two cases of SAM in young women with fatal outcome. One of the patients had an atypical form of the disease, which primarily affected small intestinal submucosal and subserosal arteries, and resulted in acute mesenteric ischemia. The other had bilateral brain infarction with SAM of internal carotid arteries (ICA). Pathological examination of both cases did not reveal the cause of blood flow disturbance: large mesenteric branches of the former and ICA of the latter were free of either dissection or thrombosis; in addition, small intestinal arteries of the first patient did not show signs of vasculitis. These findings suggest that unusual pathways of arterial occlusion and dissection may occur in the context of SAM.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/10. Implications of central retinal artery occlusion.The purpose of this paper, was to discuss central retinal artery occlusion and its role in the patient's overall health. Several different causes of occlusion such as cardiovascular diseases, carotid artery disease, aortic arch disease and giant cell arteritis are discussed along with their symptomatology and clinical manifestations. Because of the importance of a proper diagnosis, the more common ophthalmoscopic pictures that are confused with the central retinal artery occlusions are also included. A case report of a central retinal artery occlusion secondary to a carotid artery stenosis is presented to acquaint the optometrist to the need of further testing after a vascular accident to the eye.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/10. gangrene of a foot secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus with large vessel vasculitis.A 28-year-old man developed gangrene of a foot leading to a below-the-knee amputation. Although initially diagnosed as atherosclerotic vascular disease, clinical and laboratory findings of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed over the next 18 months. Histologic review of popliteal and femoral artery specimens showed acute and chronic changes consistent with the vasculitis of SLE. Subsequent treatment with prednisone controlled the vasculitis as well as the other clinical manifestations of SLE. The diagnosis of SLE should be considered in patients with large vessel peripheral vascular disease who lack the typical findings of the more common predisposing causes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/10. Bilateral retinal arteritis with multiple aneurysmal dilatations.The authors have reported two cases of bilateral retinal arteritis with multiple aneurysmal dilatations. Despite comprehensive medical evaluation, no clear etiology was identified, although polyarteritis (periarteritis) remains a possibility. These cases constitute an unusual and unique manifestation of inflammatory retinal vascular disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/10. Transient emboligenic aortoarteritis. Noteworthy new entity in young stroke patients.The clinical and postmorten anatomical data in a group of ten patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease in the 15- to 40-year group were studied. The occlusion of the peripheral supply artery in the brain in all cases was found to be due to thromboemboli generated from focal thrombotic lesions situated proximally in the aorta and elastic arterial trunks arising from it. These central thrombotic lesions were caused by a transient form of focal aortoarteritis that primarily affects medial elastic tissue underlying the thrombi. This is a new disease entity, distinct from Takayasu's and other forms of segmental aortitis. The pathogenesis of occlusive cerebrovascular disease in the young remains obscure in a majority of cases. In this context, the definition of this new entity is an important contribution to the understanding of nonatherogenic occlusive cerebrovascular disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/10. Unexplained pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary arteritis in rheumatoid disease.The case is described of a 24-year-old woman who died after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for eight years. During the last four months of her life there was clinical evidence of pulmonary hypertension. At necropsy the heart showed right ventricular hypertrophy but no congenital defect. Microscopic examination of the lungs disclosed evidence of hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease with medial hypertrophy and intimal fibrosis of muscular pulmonary arteries together with hypertensive changes in the pulmonary arterioles. Some of the muscular pulmonary arteries also showed fibrinoid necrosis of their media and acute arteritis. It was concluded that the fibrinoid necrosis was a minifestation of severe hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease rather than being a primary rheumatoid arteritis of the lung.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/10. Annular atrophic lichen planus and Sneddon's syndrome.We report the case of a patient who had 2 rare diseases, annular atrophic lichen planus (AALP) and Sneddon's syndrome (SNS). This patient had also digital nodules with histological abnormalities suggestive of SNS vasculopathy, which have not been reported so far. AALP is the most rare of all varieties of lichen planus since this case is the third reported to date. The association of livedo racemosa and cerebrovascular disease is the hallmark of SNS, the incidence of which is estimated to be 4 cases per year per million inhabitants. In both diseases, an abnormal production of elastic-tissue-degrading enzymes or a constitutional abnormality of the elastic tissue can be postulated, since SNS is characterized by arteriolar changes with deterioration of the internal elastic lamina and AALP by destruction of the dermal elastic tissue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/10. Segmental mediolytic arteritis [correction of arteries]: a case report with review of the literature.Segmental mediolytic arteritis is a very rare vascular disease which causes sudden intraabdominal hemorrhage. The disease is characterized by degeneration of the arterial media, followed by aneurysmal dilatation and rupture of the involved artery. Up to now, only 13 cases have been reported, and this unique disease is not fully recognized among general pathologists and physicians. Here, we present a case of segmental mediolytic arteritis involving the propria hepatic artery, which resulted in intraabdominal hemorrhage, and consequently hypovolemic circulatory disturbance. Histologically, the rupture focus showed degeneration and desquamation of the intima and media with fibrin-like material covering the exposed adventitia. Inflammatory infiltrates were only noted in the rupture focus as a secondary reactive change. Other than the rupture focus, there were two foci showing similar findings. This disease has rarely been reported and is seldom recognized as a cause of arterial rupture. In cases of sudden intraabdominal hemorrhage, segmental mediolytic arteritis should be considered as a possible cause in addition to atherosclerotic and mycotic aneurysm, traumatic injury and vasculitis syndromes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vascular disease (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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