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Purpose. – The association of antiphosphatidylethanolamine antibodies (aPE) as the only antiphospholipid antibody with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is discussed. The aPE was described as the sole antibody in many cases suggesting APS. aPE was not included in the Sapporo criteria for the classification of APS.Methods. – We investigated the clinical features of 20 patients with aPE only; 17 patients had symptoms potentially related to APS (group 1) and three had other manifestations (group 2).Results. – There were 15 women and five men, mean age was 35 ± 12 years at the beginning. In group 1 (n = 17), ten patients presented arterial thrombosis, nine venous thrombosis (five had both), and six microvascular thrombosis (livedo reticularis, lacunar pathology). The aPE postivity was persistent in 13 patients. A subgroup of four patients (three women) presented arteriosclerosis with peripheral arteriopathy which started before 45 years of age. They had another atherosclerosis risk factor associated with aPE persistence. In group 2 (n = 3), there was no thrombotic event, one demyelinating pathology, one microvascular pathology, and one arterial dysplasia. The aPE positivity was never confirmed. Finally, 13 patients presented an APS with aPE only, confirmed at least 8 weeks later.Conclusions. – Our study points out that testing for aPE would be of interest for patients when symptoms were potentially related to APS, particularly when other antiphospholipid antibodies were negative. This description questions the enlargement of the APS biological criteria defined in Sapporo. The role of aPE in atherosclerosis is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Survival in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) has generally been found to be similar to that of the general population. The aim of our study was to assess outcome and survival of different subgroups of patients with GCA in relation to clinical, biological data or treatment modalities., Methods: From 1977 and 1995, 176 patients were treated in the Department of Internal Medicine for GCA. The patient, family or local practitioner were contacted prior to the study (July-October 1995). Treatment modalities and follow-up were obtained for 133 patients. All patients (except 11) had 3 or more 1990 ACR classification criteria for GCA. The 11 patients with 2 criteria had a positive temporal biopsy and were included in the study., Results: Relapse during corticosteroid tapering treatment was observed in 83 patients (62.4%) with a mean 1.57 relapses per patient. No correlation was found in age, sex, initial dose or type of steroid used (i.e. prednisone or prednisolone). Only a slight correlation in the initial erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was observed (p < 0.01, r = 0.23). In 56 patients free of treatment (mean treatment duration: 40 months), 27 (48%) developed a relapse of the disease 1 to 25 months later. No correlation was found in age, sex, initial dose of steroid, number of relapses during treatment, or initial ESR. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier and Mantel-Menszel methods for comparison of groups. At the time of the study, 41 patients had died (30.7%). A significant reduction of survival was found with the presence of permanent visual loss vs absence (p = 0.04), in patients who required more than 10 mg/d of glucocorticoid (p < 0.001) at 6 months treatment and in patients treated with prednisone (vs prednisolone) (p < 0.01). However, these factors were not independently associated with survival in the multivariate analysis., Conclusion: Relapse was observed in 62.4% of the patients during corticosteroid tapering (correlated with initial ESR). A relapse of the disease was also observed in 48% of patients 1 to 25 months after the end of the treatment and was associated with prednisolone use. Long term survival was better in patients with no initial ocular manifestations, in patients who took less than 10 mg/day of corticosteroids at 6 months of the treatment and in patients treated with prednisolone.

Introduction: Spontaneous perirenal hematoma is a serious and unusual complication of polyarteritis nodosa. Its treatment is not standardized. A review of the literature shows that therapeutic arterial embolization is an alternative to nephrectomy., Exegesis: We report a new case of spontaneous bilateral perirenal hematoma due to a rupture of a renal aneurysm in a 68-year-old patient presenting with polyarteritis nodosa. The patient had no hypertension. Renal arteriography helped guide the diagnosis, and selective embolization was performed to treat the left hematoma. The right hematoma only required symptomatic treatment., Conclusion: Arteriography with selective embolization appears to be a good alternative to nephrectomy in spontaneous perirenal hematoma complicating polyarteritis nodosa. However, in this case, the right hematoma required neither arteriography nor nephrectomy. This raises the questions of the necessity of selective embolization when the clinical status remains satisfying with a symptomatic treatment.

We evaluated the value of dynamic transcutaneous oxygen tension measurement in 15 patients with Leriche stage II intermittent claudication treated with vascular bypass procedures. Fifteen men, median age 60 years (range: 37-72 years), were studied during six months; 19 limbs were revascularized: eight by angioplasty, 11 by patent graft. Claudication perimeter and dynamic transcutaneous oxygen tension measurement were evaluated before and after revascularization. The TcPO2 was continuously measured with a multimodular Kontron Supermon at seven different sites simultaneously: precordium (reference probe), thighs, calves and feet, in the dorsal recumbent position after 30 minutes rest, during a standardized exercise stress test at 50 W and during the recovery phase. The results were expressed as index of surface defect (ISD). After revascularization, the duration of significant ischemia was significantly reduced (P < 0.001 thigh, calf, foot) in 14 patients. Dynamic transcutaneous oximetry therefore seems to be a useful method in assessing stage II occlusive peripheral arterial disease and the topography of tissue hypoxia. Dynamic transcutaneous oximetry is helpful in the surveillance after revascularization and guides the choice of specific treatment (angioplasty or patent graft) especially for multiple lesions.