Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa with necrotising vasculitis in the fascia

AbstractA 69-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital with a purpura, muscle pain and numbness of the lower limbs. The histological examination of his fascia revealed vasculitis with fibrinoid necrosis of the small arteries. We diagnosed cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPN) with necrotising vasculitis in the fascia and initiated prednisolone 40 mg/day, which resulted in rapid improvement of his symptoms. CPN and muscular PN (MPN) is a benign form of vasculitis of small and medium arteries without visceral involvement. The clinical symptoms and prognoses of CPN and MPN are similar, and the patient in our case exhibited symptoms similar to those of each PN type.