Livedo reticularis is a lacy rash. The rash can appear in normal people or as part of disease. It is similar, but not identical to livedo racemosa. Other names for these phenomena are ‘cutis marmorata’, ‘skin mottling’ and ‘marble skin’. This is because of the lacy, marbled appearance of pale and visible superficial blood vessels…
A blue finger can be a sign of finger ischemia. Examples include an ischemic finger as a result of atheroembolism or a cardio-embolic phenomenon. But spontaneous benign blue finger (or spontaneous benign blue toe) is a benign process . This condition has actually been known for decades. Vascular medicine physicians used to call it ‘spontaneous…
The purpose of preoperative assessment of vascular patients is to identify reversible problems and minimize risk of vascular procedures. Vascular patients are often high risk surgical patients. Just as they have peripheral vascular disease they often have coronary vascular disease, which may be occult. These patients often have other cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension,…
Exercise is good for one’s health. There is no doubt about that. However, certain sports carry particular risks. Some of these risks are obvious. Contact sports may lead to injury. Weight baring sports may lead to overuse. However, some sports carry particular vascular risk. Bicycle riding is one of those sports. A particular form of…
Marfan syndrome is a genetic connective tissue disorder that has an autosomal dominant inheritance and an incidence of 1 in 3000 to 5000 individuals. Patients with Marfan syndrome are characteristically tall and flexible. These patients are at risk for catastrophic vascular events and other system involvement. This article will explain the symptoms and potential hazards…
Chilblains, also known as pernio is a medical conditions that can mimic blue toes. This condition is often missed because of lack of suspicion or knowledge. Furthermore, these lesions often look like vesicles or like ulcers and are sometimes accompanied by blue toes, so the confusion is easy to understand. Pernio in 2 minutes: Until…
Leg pain is one of the most common complaint patients arriving at a vascular medicine clinic have. Although for patients pain in the legs is a very specific problem, there are actually many possible reasons: skin, muscle, tendons, bone, arteries and veins. This article will review the various causes for leg pain. For a detailed…
Do you suffer from swollen legs? Many people have swollen legs. It seems simple… But in reality it can be hard to figure out the cause for leg swelling in a particular person. This article will try to make some sense of leg swelling. By the way, the term “edema” or “oedema” basically means swelling….
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is when upper extremity symptoms arise from compression of the neurovascular bundle by adjacent muscle and bone. There are actually three types of thoracic outlet syndrome (in descending order of prevalence): Neurogenic (90% of cases) Venous Arterial (1% of cases) As the nerves and blood vessels of the neck traverse the…
Lipedema is when abnormal fat accumulates, usually in the legs. It has many other names. For instance, ‘stove pipe legs‘, ‘skinny feet syndrome’, ‘riding breech thighs’ and ‘lipomatosis of the legs’. The exact cause is not known. Typically, both legs are obese in comparison to the rest of the body. The feet remain unaffected and…
