Vasculitis is a general term for vessel wall inflammation. Any type of vessel can bin involved, but most vascultides affect small vessels ranging in size from arterioles to capillaries to venules. Diagnosis is a combination of symptoms, laboratory finding and certain image patterns. Aim of this review is to classificate and to describe the different forms of presentation of vasculitis and how CT can help for the interpretation of some form of vasculitis.

Practitioners may find it helpful to think of primary systemic vasculitides based on the predominant size of the involved vessels, as suggested by the Chapel Hill Classification. According to immunopathogenesis we classified: Furthermore, there are many conditions that have vasculitis as an accompanying or atypical feature, including: Rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and dermatomyositis Cancer, such as lymphomas Infections, such as hepatitis C Exposure to chemicals and drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, and anthrax vaccines. In pediatric patients varicella inflammation may...

SMALL VESSELS Wegener's granulomatosis WG consists of ischemic necrosis with the formation of a non-microbial abscess and a polymorphonuclear granuloma containing polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes and multinucleated giant cells. Imaging (Fig.3-Fig.7): -CT Halo sign, characterized by a rim of ground-glass opacity surrounding the pulmonary lesion that represents alveolar hemorrhage around the nodule. -Uni- or bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and pleurale effusion can be seen. Fig. 5 Renal involvement can lead to end-stage renal failure. Biopsy is important to esclude glomerulonephritis. Fig. 6 Long-lasting sinusitis or rhinitis is...

Vasculitides are rare disorders with different immuno-histopathologic mechanisms, with overlapping radiologic manifestations and a wide range of clinical presentations. Their early diagnoses is an Integration of clinical, laboratory, pathologic and imaging findings.

A. R. Pugliesi; Ludwigsburg/DE - nothing to disclose W. Kersjes; Bietigheim-Bissingen/DE - nothing to disclose

-2012 Revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Nomenclature of Vasculitides -Klinikum Ludwigsburg (Germany)