Microvascular occlusion explained

Microvascular occlusion refers to conditions that can present with retiform purpura.^[1] It has been suggested that phenylephrine may be a cause.^[2]

Signs and symptoms

Microvascular occlusions appears as bland necrosis without inflammation and retiform purpura.^[3]

Causes

Microvascular occlusions can be caused by heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, cryoglobulinemia, angioinvasive organisms, embolization, disseminated intravascular coagulation, livedoid vasculopathy, cell occlusion syndromes, and iatrogenic causes.^[3]

Outlook

The outcomes of microvascular occlusions are usually influenced by the degree, length, nature of the underlying cause, and prompt and effective treatment.^[3]

Further reading

• Hosseini . Nastaran-Sadat . Babaei . Sharareh . Rahimi . Hamid . Gheissari . Alaleh . Sedaghat . Banafsheh . Pourmahdi-Boroujeni . Mahsa . Abtahi-Naeini . Bahareh . Cutaneous microvascular occlusion syndrome as the first manifestation of catastrophic lupus-associated antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: a case report . Journal of Medical Case Reports . 17 . 1 . 2023-08-22 . 1752-1947 . 37605287 . 10464427 . 10.1186/s13256-023-04068-9 . free . none.
• Ko . Christine J. . Gehlhausen . Jeff R. . McNiff . Jennifer M. . Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis and Microvascular Occlusion . Surgical Pathology Clinics . Elsevier BV . 14 . 2 . 2021 . 1875-9181 . 10.1016/j.path.2021.01.006 . 309–325 . none.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jean L. Bolognia. Joseph L. Jorizzo. Ronald P. Rapini. Dermatology. 20 May 2011. 27 August 2003. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-0-323-02578-2. 390–.
2. Kalajian . AH. . Turpen . KB. . Donovan . KO. . Malone . JC. . Callen . JP. . Phenylephrine-induced microvascular occlusion syndrome in a patient with a heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation . Arch Dermatol . 143 . 10 . 1314–7 . Oct 2007 . 10.1001/archderm.143.10.1314 . 17938347 . free .
3. Dehghani . Shakiba . Abtahi-Naeini . Bahareh . COVID-19: A new cause of cutaneous microvascular occlusion syndrome . Journal of Research in Medical Sciences . Medknow . 26 . 1 . 2021 . 1735-1995 . 10.4103/jrms.jrms_560_21 . free . 119. 8765522 .