Background: Nailfold Capillaroscopy is a simple, inexpensive and non-invasive technique that allows microvascular damage to be observed, gaining recent importance in the diagnosis, monitoring prognosis of many diseases with microangiopathy. However, variability results interpretation has led development new computerized systems allow automatic analysis capillaroscopic images. Objectives: compar...

It was interesting to read the paper by Beauvais et al reporting two cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with cutaneous vasculitis and IgA nephropathy' emphasising the possibility of vascular involvement in AS. We wish to emphasise this aspect by the evaluation of microcirculation in AS using nailfold capillaroscopy.2 Forty six patients were enrolled in this prospective study, divided into 32 ...

For more than two decades, methods for the non-invasive exploration of cutaneous microcirculation have been mainly based on optical microscopy and laser Doppler techniques. In this review, we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of these techniques. Although optical microscopy-derived techniques, such as nailfold videocapillaroscopy, have found clinical applications, they mainly provide morphol...

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is a clinical sign of precocious abnormal microcirculation and can be considered a major risk factor for the development of connective tissue disease, especially systemic sclerosis (SSc). Nailfold videocapillaroscopy is the most valuable tool for the early diagnosis of SSc and related disorders. It allows classification of capillary abnormalities. Scoring capillaroscop...

It was interesting to read the paper by Beauvais et al reporting two cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with cutaneous vasculitis and IgA nephropathy' emphasising the possibility of vascular involvement in AS. We wish to emphasise this aspect by the evaluation of microcirculation in AS using nailfold capillaroscopy.2 Forty six patients were enrolled in this prospective study, divided into 32 ...