Comparison of quantitative and semiquantitative estimates of nailfold capillary abnormalities in scleroderma spectrum disorders.

In this study, 82 photomacrographs of nailfold capillary beds from 60 patients with scleroderma spectrum disorders (scleroderma, undifferentiated connective tissue disease, and dermatomyositis) and from 16 normal controls were analyzed blindly, using both semiquantitative and quantitative methods, to estimate the capillary size and the extent of "avascularity." A good correlation was found between results obtained by the two methods. Defining these semiquantitative classifications in quantitative terms should facilitate comparison of results from different investigators.