Atrophie blanche. A clinicopathological study of 27 patients

Twenty seven patients (8 males and 19 females) with atrophie blanche were observed in the past 7-years. The mean age at onset was 32 years (ranging from 23 years to 57 years) and 19 years (ranging from 11 years to 36 years) for male and female patient, respectively. The mean disease duration was 2.5 years (ranging from 2 months to 16 years) prior to their consultation. Sixty-three percent of them had summer exacerbation. Four patients had essential cryoglobulinemia, one of whom also developed bilateral iliofemoral artery stenosis one year later. Twelve patients also manifested concurrent purpura pigmentosa chronica (PPC)-like lesions. The observation of the natural course and clinical morphology, being divided into white atrophy-predominant and ulcer-predominant type, led to the impression that atrophie blanche and livedo vasculitis are synonyms with the same disease spectrum. Furthermore, white atrophy is not ulcer scars but lesions de novo suggesting dermal vasculopathy. An attempt was made to explain the uniqueness of clinical morphology. First line treatment included local wound care, bed rest and low-dose aspirin plus dipyridamole. Thirteen patients responded to these treatment either at the first attack or the recurrent episodes. Heparin (5000 units subcutaneous injection once daily) was effective for control of intractable painful ulceration in active stage in 70% of the remaining patients.