[Repetitive skin testing in patients with lower leg eczema and leg ulcer]

16 patients with lower leg dermatitis and venous ulcers had been subject to patch-testing during 1974 to 1977. When retested in 1982, the number of positive reactions per patient increased from 3.82 to 5.87 on an average. 54% of the positive epicutaneous test reactions could be reproduced in the repeated patch test. Meanwhile, 9 of 16 of patients were free of lower leg dermatitis and 8 of them were free of venous ulcers. This paper deals with the problematic nature as well as the likely causes of the apparent inconsistency of epicutaneous test reactions in patients with lower leg dermatitis and venous ulcers.