[Sneddon's syndrome: an unusual cause of cerebral infarct at a relatively young age].

Sneddon's syndrome was diagnosed in a man of 56, and two women aged 48 and 22 years. It is a rare disease characterised by the combination of skin lesions (livedo racemosa) and cerebral infarctions at a relatively early age. Apart from the clinical presentation, the diagnosis can sometimes be confirmed by a typical microscopical image of a biopsy taken from a region adjacent to the livedo (endothelitis, perivascular lymphocyte infiltration and hypertrophy of the artery wall). The cause of the syndrome is unknown and a specific therapy is lacking. Early recognition of Sneddon's syndrome may protect patients against unnecessary ancillary investigations.