polyarteritis nodosa

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), is a systemic necrotizing inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) affecting medium-sized muscular arteries, typically involving the arteries of the kidneys and other internal organs but generally sparing the lungs' circulation. Polyarteritis nodosa may be present in infants. In polyarteritis nodosa, small aneurysms are strung like the beads of a rosary, therefore making 'rosary sign' an important diagnostic feature of the vasculitis. PAN is sometimes associated with ...