Treatment of peripheral gangrene due to systemic sclerosis with intravenous pentoxifylline

Summary Vascular problems are very common in systemic sclerosis with 95% of patients suffering with Raynaud's phenomenon at some stage in their illness.1 Acute ischaemic lesions are much less common, but when they occur are a serious complication, and are often difficult to treat. Many drugs ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and experimental dermatology 1989-03, Vol.14 (2), p.161-162
Main Authors: GOODFIELD, M.J.D., ROWELL, N.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Fingers - pathology
Gangrene - drug therapy
Gangrene - etiology
Humans
Infusions, Intravenous
Male
Medical sciences
Pentoxifylline - administration & dosage
Pentoxifylline - therapeutic use
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Scleroderma, Systemic - complications
Scleroderma, Systemic - pathology
Skin, nail, hair, dermoskeleton
Theobromine - analogs & derivatives
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Summary:Summary Vascular problems are very common in systemic sclerosis with 95% of patients suffering with Raynaud's phenomenon at some stage in their illness.1 Acute ischaemic lesions are much less common, but when they occur are a serious complication, and are often difficult to treat. Many drugs have been used in this situation, including both oral and intravenous vaso‐dilators2,3 and low molecular weight dextran,4 each with varying degrees of success. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor, pentoxifylline, is reported to be useful in peripheral vascular disease,5 and in Raynaud's phenomenon,6 and the intravenous form is indicated for acute peripheral ischaemia, though its use in the context of connective tissue disease has not so far been reported. We now report the use of intravenous pentoxifylline in two patients with acute peripheral gangrene due to systemic sclerosis.
ISSN:0307-6938
1365-2230
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2230.1989.tb00917.x