Raynaud's Disease

The arterioles of the fingers and toes go into sudden spasms lasting minutes to hours, cutting off blood supply to the digits with a resultant cyanosis and loss of sensation.
Effects mostly younger women, may be due to exposure to cold as well as to the patient's emotional state.
Other causes include atherosclerosis, scleroderma, injury, and reaction to certain medications.
The treatment of choice is limiting exposure to cold, prescribing mild sedatives, and discontinuing the use of tobacco products.
- This is characterized by intermittent bilateral attacks of ischemia marked by pallor of the fingers and accompanied by paresthesia and pain.
- May be brought on by cold and emotional stimuli.
- The cause may be due to an underlying disease or an anatomic abnormality.
- If the cause it idiopathic, it is diagnosed as Raynaud's Disease.
- Treatment for ischemia of the fingers includes surgery. A cervical presynaptic sympathectomy is performed to dilate the digital arteries.
  
  - Upper limb sympathectomy is used for the treatment of hyperhidrosis and Raynaud syndrome. Surgical sympathectomy involves excision of part of the thoracic sympathetic chain (usually for two interspaces) below the level of the stellate ganglion.

Search