Livedo Racemosa - The Pathophysiology of Decompression-Associated Cutis Marmorata and Right/Left Shunt.
PFO
cutis marmorata
decompression illness
livedo racemosa
livedo reticularis
patent ovale foramen
right/left shunt
skin bends
Journal
Frontiers in physiology
ISSN: 1664-042X
Titre abrégé: Front Physiol
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101549006
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2020
2020
Historique:
received:
21
04
2020
accepted:
22
07
2020
entrez:
5
10
2020
pubmed:
6
10
2020
medline:
6
10
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism, collectively known as decompression illness (DCI), are serious medical conditions that can result from compressed gas diving. DCI can present with a wide range of physiologic and neurologic symptoms. In diving medicine, skin manifestations are usually described in general as cutis marmorata (CM). Mainly in the Anglo-American literature the terms cutis marmorata, livedo reticularis (LR), and livedo racemosa (LRC) are used interchangeably but actually describe pathophysiologically different phenomena. CM is a synonym for LR, which is a physiological and benign, livid circular discoloration with a net-like, symmetric, reversible, and uniform pattern. The decompression-associated skin discolorations, however, correspond to the pathological, irregular, broken netlike pattern of LRC. Unlike in diving medicine, in clinical medicine/dermatology the pathology of livedo racemosa is well described as a thrombotic/embolic occlusion of arteries. This concept of arterial occlusion suggests that the decompression-associated livedo racemosa may be also caused by arterial gas embolism. Recent studies have shown a high correlation of cardiac right/left (R/L) shunts with arterial gas embolism and skin bends in divers with unexplained DCI. To further investigate this hypothesis, a retrospective analysis was undertaken in a population of Austrian, Swiss, and German divers. The R/L shunt screening results of 18 divers who suffered from an unexplained decompression illness (DCI) and presented with livedo racemosa were retrospectively analyzed. All of the divers were diagnosed with a R/L shunt, 83% with a cardiac shunt [patent foramen ovale (PFO)/atrium septum defect (ASD)], and 17% with a non-cardiac shunt. We therefore not only confirm this hypothesis but when using appropriate echocardiographic techniques even found a 100% match between skin lesions and R/L shunt. In conclusion, in diving medicine the term cutis marmorata/livedo reticularis is used incorrectly for describing the actual pathology of livedo racemosa. Moreover, this pathology could be a good explanation for the high correlation of livedo racemosa with cardiac and non-cardiac right/left shunts in divers without omission of decompression procedures.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33013436
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00994
pmc: PMC7497564
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
994Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2020 Hartig, Reider, Sojer, Hammer, Ploner, Muth, Tilg and Köhler.
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