Distensibility of the vascular bed in subcutaneous tissue in generalized scleroderma

Passive distensibility of resistance vessels in subcutaneous tissue of hand and leg was examined in 6 normals and 8 patients suffering from generalized scleroderma of the acrosclerosis type. Local paralysis of smooth muscle was obtained by injection of papaverine and increase in transmural pressure by lowering the limb. Blood flow was estimated by the local 133Xenon wash-out method. Distensibility of blood vessels in subcutaneous tissue in generalized scleroderma was not decreased to a significant degree, whereas, both in patients and normals, the blood vessels of the leg exhibited diminished distensibility compared to blood vessels of the hand. The findings suggest that the morphologic changes of vascular and extravascular tissue observed in sclerodermic skin do not affect distensibility of the vascular bed in subcutaneous tissue.