Capillary abnormalities in polyvinyl chloride production workers. Examination by in vivo microscopy

Examination by wide-field capillary microscopy of the hands of 152 workers in vinyl chloride (VC) polymerization plants demonstrated scattered, scleroderma-like microvascular abnormalities in 21 workers and isolated capillary abnormalities in 27, as compared with only three isolated abnormalities in 50 manual workers not exposed to vinyl chloride. Thirteen of 17 VC workers with objective evidence of VC-associated abnormalities (angiosarcoma or fibrosis of liver, acroosteolysis, or scleroderma-like skin lesions) were observed to have microvascular abnormalities. If prospective studies confirm the implications of this study, capillary microscopy may become a useful mass-screening procedure in the early detection and prevention of VC-associated disease.