Ann Rheum Dis 1998;57:70-78 ( February )

Review

Quantifying digital vascular disease in patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon and systemic sclerosis

Ariane L Herrick, Stuart Clark

University of Manchester Rheumatic Diseases Centre, Hope Hospital, Salford M6 8HD

Correspondence to: Dr A L Herrick.

Accepted for publication 13 November 1997

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Introduction

In primary and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon, measurement of activity or severity, or both, of the digital vascular disease is a major challenge. We need to identify objective measures of digital vascular disease that are helpful in predicting those patients with Raynaud's who have underlying connective tissue disease, and to measure reliably digital vascular disease progression, and responses to treatment.

None of the various physiological measurement techniques used in the assessment of patients with primary or secondary Raynaud's are ideal. In this review we outline these techniques, highlighting their applications and limitations. The discussion concentrates on the physiological assessment of patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon (PRP) and systemic sclerosis (SSc), but is also applicable to other connective tissue diseases. We have not included biochemical markers of vascular injury or measurement of tissue oxygen levels.

	The nature of the problem

In PRP, episodic ischaemia in response to cold exposure or to emotional stimuli is entirely reversible: absence . . . [Full text of this article]

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