Microvascular tests

[GreyFinger]

Anyone know if anywhere in Scotland di microvascular studies? Thanks.

[OldTed60]

NHS Tayside certainly used to do them - but you’d probably need to be referred if not under the healthboard already. I travelled down to get mine done at Royal Free privately as part of a bigger consultation.

[GreyFinger in reply to OldTed60]

Thank you. Yes I was trying to get a centre of excellence referral on the NHS but no luck across borders. Considered private. Thanks.

[OldTed60 in reply to GreyFinger]

If you are thinking you might have secondary, particularly scleroderma, then if you can possibly stump up to see Prof Chris Denton at Royal Free then I’d say it’s worth every penny. I used my 60th birthday as a way to ask family and friends to help. We shouldn’t have to but for me and a few others here it was the only way.

[GreyFinger in reply to OldTed60]

It's Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. It's my daughter. We have a positive diagnostic- she has the Raynauds but not the gene fir scleroderma. It's just Edinburgh use the capillaroscopy not microvascular tests. Wishing you well - thats a good idea re your birthday 🙌 I booked to see Prof Denton however just now she's not well enough to travel and believes her Consultant has done what she should with her GI appt taking precedence. Thanks.

[OldTed60 in reply to GreyFinger]

Ahh thanks for clarifying. Tayside also only do the capilleroscopies I think but they are under highest magnification and I wouldn’t have thought a thermography would be necessary to confirm Raynaud’s? I just sent ahead my last capilleroscopy report of a few years ago saying all normal/ negative and Prof Denton simply used a smaller Derma scope to confirm that I now have the specific nailfold changes of scleroderma. If he hadn’t found these changes he’d have sent me for microvascular testing on same day but fortunately, with photos of my Raynaud’s and full immunology reports plus my consultant’s letter he said diagnosis of SSc was unequivocal

I agree GI appts are like gold dust and I couldn’t travel to London again but really needed diagnostic clarity prior to considering GI surgery. I do carry the a scleroderma antibody though, albeit an unusual one. Good luck 😊

[GreyFinger]

Good luck with your journey. Yep non of Scotland do the microvascular speciality i believe. She's had high intensity capillarscopy however in a an ambient situation she still has them so trying to find out cause. It's not scleroderma however there is an emotional component and possible thoracic output syndrome. She's having her annual echo to check her heart. Thank you for your insight.