Nailfold capillaroscopy in Behcet disease, performed using videodermoscopy

Abstract

BackgroundNailfold capillaroscopy is used for the identification of microvascular involvement in many rheumatic and extrarheumatic diseases. AimTo determine the nailfold capillary changes in patients with Behcet disease (BD) by videodermoscopy, i.e. nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC). MethodsWe used a videodermatoscope (Molemax II, x30 magnification) to perform nailfold capillaroscopy on 40 patients with BD and 40 healthy controls (HC). All nailfold images were evaluated for capillary density, distribution and morphology, assessing features such as enlargement or tortuosity of the capillaries, microhaemorrhages and avascular areas. ResultsEnlarged capillaries were detected in 14 patients, microhaemorrhages in 6 patients, and avascular area in 3 patients. There was a statistically significant difference between patients with BD and healthy controls for capillary dilatation and microhaemorrhages (P<0.05). Capillaroscopic changes were not associated with sex or clinical characteristics. ConclusionsUsing NVC, nailfold capillary changes were apparent in patients with BD, but not in HC. NVC could be a useful technique for evaluating microvascular damage in BD.