[Trophic phenomena in dermatology (author's transl)]

After a description of trophic disorders in 2 patients the great variety of trophic disorders and their diagnostic problems are discussed. Neurovascular dysfunction may be the main cause of trophic phenomena. The general opinion ist that so-called "trophic" nerve fibres do not exist, but there is evidence of the production of "trophic" substances by the nerve endings. So long as these problems remain unresolved, the term "trophic" should be avoided in favour of "neurovascular disorder".