Capillaroscopy of toes.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Vascular Biology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Nailfold capillaroscopy is crucial for diagnosing collagen-vascular diseases.
• Limited data exists on toe nailfold capillaroscopy patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the physiological capillary pattern of toes.
• To compare toe capillaroscopy findings in healthy individuals and patients with vascular/collagen-vascular diseases.

Main Methods:

• Capillaroscopy of the first and second toes was performed.
• 50 healthy volunteers and 67 patients (chronic venous insufficiency, peripheral arterial diseases, collagen-vascular diseases) were included.
• Non-polarized light, oil immersion, and 50x magnification were used.

Main Results:

• Toe capillary density (5-9/mm) is lower than finger density (7-11/mm).
• Toe capillaries exhibit greater variability, including tortuous forms, ramifications, elongations, and bundles, unlike the typical hairpin shape in fingers.
• Minor differences were observed between patient groups and volunteers; ramifications were more frequent in peripheral arterial diseases, and capillary bundles in collagen-vascular diseases. Pathological signs like megacapillaries or hemorrhages were absent in toes.

Conclusions:

• A distinct physiological capillary pattern exists between toes and fingers.
• Further studies are needed to confirm pathological alterations observed in vascular and collagen-vascular diseases affecting toes.