Progression of esophageal dysmotility in systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To longitudinally evaluate esophageal dysmotility (ED) in patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all adult patients with SSc seen between 1995 and 2008. Patients were included if they had undergone 2 or more esophageal transit scintigraphy (ETS) studies at least 1 year apart.

Benign spontaneous pneumoperitoneum in systemic sclerosis.

The gastrointestinal tract is commonly involved in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) (Am J Gastroenterol. 1972;58:30-44). Intestinal manifestations of SSc include impaired motility, malabsorption, bacterial overgrowth, jejunal and wide-mouthed colonic diverticuli, localized dilatation, pseudo-obstruction, and, less commonly, pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) (Rheumatology.

Orbital Wegener's granulomatosis: a case report and review of the literature.

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a multisystem granulomatous, necrotizing vasculitis of presumed autoimmune origin that affects small- to medium-sized blood vessels. The respiratory tract and kidneys are typically involved (Gross and Reinhold-Keller, "Clinical features of primary ANCA-associated vasculitis" in Oxford textbook of rheumatology, third edition, 2004). The limited form usually involves the head and neck, lacks renal involvement, and may not progress to generalized disease (Cassan et al.