The nailfold videocapillaroscopy findings of Behçet's syndrome

Abstract

Background: Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) is a diagnostic method for evaluating the microvasculature. Behçet's disease (BD) can affect vessels of all types and sizes. Methods: We performed NVC in 82 randomly selected patients with BD. NVC was performed for eight fingers (excluding the thumbs) with a 200× magnification. Results: Of the 82 patients with BD, 75 had at least one capillaroscopic change, including tortuosity in 75 (91.5%), bizarre capillaries in eight (9.8%), microhemorrhages in four (4.9%) and mega capillary in two (2.4%). The mean number of capillaries/mm length of nailfold in the group with BD was 10.17 ± 1.23 and was 11.45 ± 0.99 in the healthy controls (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, the BD group had significantly more capillaroscopic pathological findings than did the healthy control group. However, the detected capillaroscopic pathology rate in BD patients was significantly lower than that of three previously published studies. Further studies are needed to clarify the diagnostic and prognostic value of capillaroscopy in BD.

Keywords

• Behçet's disease
• capillaroscopy
• nailfold