Abstract: Introduction: Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) is a non-invasive imaging technique widely used to
investigate microvascular abnormalities in different connective tissue diseases (CTDs).
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study where we analysed 415 patients submitted to NVC. Patients with
scleroderma-like pattern were selected to investigate if there are specific NCV changes, which discriminate among the
different CTDs. Ninety-one patients met this requirement and had a diagnosis of CTD. For each patient the following
abnormalities were observed: enlarged and giant capillaries, oedema, loss and rarefaction of capillaries, long loops and
minor dystrophies.
Results: Multivariate analyses did not reveal any specific modification among the analysed co-variables for scleroderma
(SS) and dermatomyositis (DM). For the others CTDs analysed in this study, logistic regression revealed that some of
the capilloroscopic features could be indicative of specific diseases. Of note, the presence of megacapillaries with long
loops in a scleroderma-like pattern seems to be highly indicative for a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythaematosus
(SLE).
Conclusions: Our data showed that in CTDs with a scleroderma-like pattern, the NVC variables alone are not able to
discriminate for a specific diagnosis of CTD. Nevertheless, there are some NVC features, which could strongly address
the differential diagnosis toward a specific CTD.
