Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Non-invasive Assessment of Microvascular and Endothelial Function
Published on: January 29, 2013
Subcutaneous microvascular (capillary) calcification. Another basis for livedo-like skin changes?
D M Chapman1, A L Boskey, M Tesch
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Abstract:
A morbidly obese woman with acute renal failure, high serum phosphorus and slightly depressed serum calcium levels, developed areas of induration in the subcutis with associated livedo reticularis. Later, the subcutis became necrotic and the skin ulcerated. The arterioles, and notably widened occluded capillaries, were found to contain calcium and phosphorus as determined by energy dispersive spectrometry. X-ray diffraction of the subcutis in an early stage of this lesion showed that the mineral was most likely a poorly crystalline hydroxyapatite.
Related Concept Videos
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System III: Palpation
Jugular Venous Pressure (JVP) Measurement
Position the patient at a thirty- to forty-five-degree angle or in a semi-fowler's position. Look for the highest point of pulsation in the internal jugular vein and measure the vertical distance to the angle of Loius or sternal angle. A normal JVP is 3-4 cm above the...
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation

