Fine zigzags beneath rounded apices

Slender capillaries with small repeated bends in their limbs and mostly rounded apices.

Slender capillaries with small repeated bends in their limbs and mostly rounded apices.
Slender capillaries with small repeated bends in their limbs and mostly rounded apices.

Image details

Recorded diagnosis
  • Inflammatory myopathy
Pattern
Tortuous capillaries
Author or contributor
Borja Gracia Tello
Hallmarks
Tortuous capillariesSimple hairpin loops
Magnification
250×
Device
Smart G-Scope
Field of view (W × H)
≈ 2.33 × 1.31 mm
Open full-size image

Teaching point

Mild tortuosities or one or two crossings may be seen in healthy people.

Measurements and calibration

For the subset of apices with stable automated measurements, estimated widths span approximately 14–25 µm. These are automated estimates, not manually validated measurements.

Clinical caveat

This image illustrates a visual finding and should be interpreted with acquisition quality, distribution across fingers, clinical context, and serology when relevant.

Use and licensing

Educational material. For reuse outside Capillaroscopy.com, request permission and preserve the stated attribution.

Related images

Back to atlas
A field from the normal reference study, showing the distal row of narrow loops. Use the full study to compare density and shape across fingers.Normal reference: distal capillary rowDark hemorrhagic deposits alongside capillary loops in the nonspecific reference study. Hemorrhage alone does not define a scleroderma pattern.Nonspecific pattern: hemorrhagic fieldHairpin capillaries with rounded apices of different widths. The deeper vascular network is visible.A capillary row above the deeper vascular networkElongated hairpin capillaries, with wider apices at the sides and finer loops in the center.Rounded loops along a descending border