Calciphylaxis, a poorly understood clinical syndrome: three case reports and a review of the literature

Atypical Pyoderma Gangrenosum in the Setting of Venous and Arterial Insufficiency

Ulcers of mixed etiology are diagnostically elusive and challenging to treat, especially when rare conditions are superimposed. Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an autoinflammatory, ulcerative skin disease that is difficult to diagnose. Diagnostic criteria exist but there are no specific clinical tests to identify it. We discuss a case of PG initially diagnosed as venous ulcer in the setting of peripheral artery disease, complicated by superinfection, refractory to standard wound care, multiple surgical debridements, revascularization, negative pressure therapy, and parenteral antibiotics. Findings differentiating PG from other wound etiologies are explored, with the aim of improving clinical recognition of this condition.

Management of a Complex Peristomal Calciphylaxis: A Case Study

BACKGROUND

Calciphylaxis, also referred to as calcific uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare and serious syndrome of small blood vessels with a high mortality rate. Calciphylaxis lesions require intensive wound management with medical interventions for the patient to survive the sequelae of sepsis and present unique challenges when found in the peristomal skin.

CASE

A 33-year-old man presented with multiple malodorous stage 4 pressure injuries of his sacrococcygeal and gluteal area. His medical history included chronic kidney disease requiring hemodialysis since 2007, diabetes mellitus, and incomplete paraplegia. He underwent diverting colostomy to enhance wound healing. His hospital stay was complicated by the development of a peristomal calciphylaxis lesion (PCL) that made ostomy pouching especially challenging for the nursing staff. His care needs were also aggravated by nonadherence to diet restriction, pressure injury prevention efforts, and a continued need for high doses of analgesic medication. Collectively, these issues presented a challenge for the health care team during his hospital course and during safe discharge planning.

CONCLUSIONS

The peristomal calciphylaxis lesion decreased in surface area and improved in appearance with the use of various wound care products as his medical condition improved. Skilled nursing management in the context of ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration assisted in managing the patient's peristomal calciphylaxis, ultimately leading to safe discharge from hospital.

Connective tissue ulcers

Connective tissue disorders (CTD), which are often also termed collagen vascular diseases, include a number of related inflammatory conditions. Some of these diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), localized scleroderma (morphea variants localized to the skin), Sjogren's syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and mixed connective tissue disease. In addition to the systemic manifestations of these diseases, there are a number of cutaneous features that make these conditions recognizable on physical exam. Lower extremity ulcers and digital ulcers are an infrequent but disabling complication of long-standing connective tissue disease. The exact frequency with which these ulcers occur is not known, and the cause of the ulcerations is often multifactorial. Moreover, a challenging component of CTD ulcerations is that there are still no established guidelines for their diagnosis and treatment. The morbidity associated with these ulcerations and their underlying conditions is very substantial. Indeed, these less common but intractable ulcers represent a major medical and economic problem for patients, physicians and nurses, and even well organized multidisciplinary wound healing centers.

Successful Percutaneous Angioplasty and Stenting of The Radial Artery in a Patient with Chronic Upper Extremity Ischemia and Digital Gangrene

PURPOSE

To report percutaneous treatment of a chronic radial artery occlusion in a multimorbid patient with ischemic tissue loss.

CASE REPORT

A 62-year-old man with multiple comorbidities, including renal failure and severe coronary artery disease, presented with painful, ulcerated lesions of his right hand. He has severe peripheral vascular disease, with a history of 4 digital amputations of the left hand, a right above-knee amputation, and a left femoral to peroneal artery bypass. Arteriography demonstrated chronic occlusion of the radial and ulnar arteries, with a patent interosseous and collateral flow to the distal radial artery filling the palmar arch. Angioplasty and stenting of the radial artery was performed, relieving the patient's symptoms and allowing the lesions to heal.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous intervention can treat severe upper extremity ischemia with gangrene in patients with severe chronic ischemia and multiple comorbidities.

Uncommon leg ulcers in the lower extremity

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of uncommon ulcers, unrelated to venous or arterial etiology, in patients presenting to vascular clinics.

METHODS

This was a multicenter prospective study of consecutive patients presenting with lower extremity ulceration. The settings were university hospital outpatient centers and venous clinics. A total of 799 limbs in 710 patients with leg ulcers were evaluated. Patients with venous ulcer disease and with evidence of arterial disease with an ankle-brachial index less than 0.7 were excluded from the study. Out of 710 patients, 17 patients with a total of 21 limbs fit the criteria for inclusion. All limbs included in this study underwent physical examination, ankle-brachial index measurements, duplex ultrasonography, and skin biopsies.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients with uncommon ulcers was 65.6 years, and the mean duration was 5.5 years. A total of 2.1% of all leg ulcers seen were due to uncommon etiology unrelated to venous or arterial pathology. Most of these ulcers were located in the medial lower calf (n = 19). In six patients with ulcers, the histology did not reveal any specific cause; five had a neoplasia, three had chronic inflammation, two had sickle cell disease, two had vasculitis, one had rheumatoid arthritis, one had pyoderma gangrenosum, and one had ulcer due to hydroxyurea.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of leg ulcers unrelated to arterial and venous disease that presented with signs and symptoms of chronic venous disease was 2.1%. Their etiology is variable, most often including vasculitis, neoplasia, metabolic disorders, infection, and other rare causes. Early identification of uncommon ulcers may facilitate timely and appropriate management.

Calciphylaxis--a topical overview

'Calciphylaxis', a calcification syndrome associated with ischaemic cutaneous necrosis, is acquired naturally in humans in disease states. It is a life and limb-threatening complication, usually observed in patients with renal disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism, but known to occur in the absence of renal or parathyroid disease. The reported mortality rate, which ranges from 60-80%, relates to wound infection, sepsis and organ failure. It is a small-vessel vasculopathy, which is estimated to occur in about 4% of haemodialysis patients. Clinically, violaceous, reticulate areas of cutaneous necrosis and eschar may be evident, particularly in the extremities. In addition to the clinical picture, a raised calcium phosphorous product, an elevated parathyroid hormone level, radiographic evidence of vessel and soft-tissue calcification and the finding of mural calcification affecting small arteries and arterioles on histopathology help to confirm the diagnosis of this entity which generally has a poor prognosis. A high index of suspicion and an active multidisciplinary management approach, with rigorous attention to wound care and prevention of sepsis, are vital in the management of these patients. In this overview, we discuss the pathophysiology, clinical features and associations, risk factors, diagnosis and management issues relating to calciphylaxis.

Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Calciphylaxis From Hyperparathyroidism

BACKGROUND

Calciphylaxis is a rare condition associated with chronic renal failure and entails a very poor prognosis. Pathogenesis is poorly understood but involves abnormalities in calcium and phosphorus metabolism that lead to vascular and extravascular calcification. Patients present with painful ulcerating plaques that progress to gangrenous wounds. Parathyroidectomy has been advanced as a life-saving intervention in these patients, but long-term results with wound healing and survival after parathyroidectomy are not well described.

METHODS

Between January 1987 and October 2003, 15 patients with biopsy-confirmed calciphylaxis were treated at the University of Wisconsin. Of these 15 patients, 9 were treated with medical therapy (bisphosphonates and phosphate binders), whereas 6 underwent parathyroidectomy. The medical records were reviewed, and patients or relatives were interviewed. Survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS

Four patients underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy, and two patients underwent total parathyroidectomy. All had reductions in the intact parathyroid hormone level (mean +/- SD, 25.2 +/- 4.5 pg/mL). Whereas all six patients treated with parathyroidectomy had partial/complete wound healing, only two of nine in the medical group had any improvements in the skin lesions (P = .006). With up to 80 months of follow-up, patients who underwent parathyroidectomy had a longer median survival compared with those who did not have surgery (39 vs. 3 months; P = .017).

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of our long-term follow-up of this patient population, subtotal or total parathyroidectomy was associated with long-term survival and was more likely to promote healing if performed earlier in the course of disease. Therefore, patients with calciphylaxis from secondary hyperparathyroidism should be referred promptly for potential parathyroidectomy.

Calciphylaxie : une complication grave et méconnue de l'insuffisance rénale chronique terminale. À propos de deux cas

Calciphylaxis presents like subcutaneous lesions with livedo reticularis leading to necrotic and painful ulcers, predominantly in the lower limbs and the abdomen. They initially simulate dermohypodermitis. Biology reveals secondary hyperparathyroidism, phosphocalcic metabolism abnormalities and state of hypercoagulability. Histological signs are constant: calcifications in the media of small and sub-cutaneous arteries, intimal hyperplasia and intravascular thrombosis. This complication occurs in 4% of end-stage renal disease patients. Its prognostic is awful with a rate of mortality of 60% due to sepsis. Treatment is based upon the normalization of phosphocalcic rates and local debridement.

Livedo reticularis: An update

Livedo reticularis (LR) is a well-known, relatively common physical finding consisting of macular, violaceous, connecting rings that form a netlike pattern (Fig 1). In most cases, it is a completely benign finding related to cold exposure. However, there are many potential causes (Table I), and this can make the evaluation of a patient presenting with this finding very difficult. An excellent review of the topic by Fleischer and Resnick was published in 1990. We have endeavored to update the literature and provide clinicians with guidance regarding the evaluation and treatment of patients presenting with LR.

Spotting the signs: a case of late diagnosed painful calciphylaxis

Although the number of cases of calciphylaxis is increasing, it is often not diagnosed until a late stage, increasing the risk of mortality. A characteristic is purple, mottled and painful lesions, which have a tendency to become necrotic.

Upper extremity bypass grafting for limb salvage in end-stage renal failure

OBJECTIVE

Patients with end-stage renal failure and upper-extremity arterial occlusive disease sometimes have painful digital ulceration. We evaluated the efficacy of distal bypass grafting from the brachial artery for limb salvage in this setting.

METHODS

All patients with end-stage renal disease with painful digital ulceration or gangrene of the hand seen from 1992 to 2002 were evaluated with clinical examination and noninvasive studies. Those with evidence of occlusive disease underwent conventional angiography. Individuals with forearm occlusive disease underwent bypass grafting, from the brachial artery to either the distal radial artery or ulnar artery at the level of the wrist or proximal hand. Follow-up was scheduled at regular intervals, and included duplex scanning. Limb salvage and bypass graft patency were determined with life table analysis.

RESULTS

Over 10 years, 18 forearm bypass procedures were performed in 15 patients. The outflow artery was the radial artery in 15 procedures and the ulnar artery in 3 procedures. Bypass conduit was autogenous in all patients. No patient had a functioning arteriovenous fistula at bypass grafting; six limbs had previously occluded fistulas. Two bypass grafts (11%) occluded in the early postoperative period, with resultant progression of gangrene. In the remaining 16 grafts patency was maintained (mean follow-up, 18 months), with pain control and tissue healing.

CONCLUSION

Treatment in patients with renal failure with upper extremity occlusive disease may be facilitated with brachiodistal bypass grafting. Pain control and reversal of progression of hand necrosis can be achieved.

Calciphylaxis and nonhealing wounds: the role of the vascular surgeon in a multidisciplinary treatment

OBJECTIVE

Calciphylaxis, a disorder of calcium-phosphate metabolism that can result in arterial calcification, skin and solid organ calcium deposits, and nonhealing ulcerations, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although its most common cause is secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with renal failure, vascular surgeons are frequently called on to evaluate these nonhealing extremity wounds. We reviewed our experience of a multidisciplinary approach in treating patients with calciphylaxis and nonhealing ulcers.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Over a 14-month period at a tertiary center, five patients were seen with calciphylaxis and nonhealing leg wounds. Demographics, disease characteristics, surgical treatment, and outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

All five patients were black women aged 40 +/- 8.9 years with hypertensive renal failure undergoing long-term hemodialysis (80 +/- 43 months). They had large, painful lower extremity wounds or necrotic ulcers (mean size, 135 cm(2)) that had developed over 2 to 4 months. Three patients had palpable pedal pulses, one patient had Doppler pedal signals, and one patient had absent pedal flow. Arteriogram was performed in the latter two patients, and one patient underwent lower extremity revascularization because of superficial femoral artery stenosis with symptomatic improvement. Four patients underwent aggressive debridement by the vascular surgical service, and two needed plastic surgeon-performed skin grafting. All patients had elevated parathyroid hormone levels (mean, 1735 pg/mL; > 25 x normal level); mean preoperative calcium levels were normal (10 mg/dL). After either subtotal (n = 4) or total (n = 1) parathyroidectomy by an experienced endocrine surgeon, a significant reduction in parathyroid hormone and calcium levels was seen (122 pg/mL and 7.9 mg/dL, respectively; P <.05). There were no postoperative complications or amputations; one patient died 12 months after parathyroidectomy of severe preexisting cardiopulmonary disease. Complete wound healing was observed by 4.8 +/- 2 months. During a mean follow-up period of 9 months (range, 1 to 18 months), all wounds remained healed without ulcer recurrence.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of calciphylaxis should be considered in patients with end-stage renal disease with atypical tissue necrosis or subcutaneous nodules. Early recognition of calciphylaxis and multidisciplinary treatment, including diligent wound care, frequent debridement, parathyroidectomy, and appropriate skin grafting or revascularization, can result in improved wound healing and limb salvage.