Non-uremic cutaneous calciphylaxis: our experience with a challenging disease.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and potentially life-threatening syndrome of vascular calcification and skin necrosis. It usually presents with painful, violaceous patches or plaques, in a livedoid pattern, that progress into nonhealing ulcers with underlying tissue necrosis. Calciphylaxis can be classified as central (when proximal to the knees and elbows) or peripheral. The diagnosis is established by histopathology, picturing calcium deposits within the dermal and subcutaneous vessels.(1,2) It is classically diagnosed in the setting of end-stage renal disease, although non-uremic calciphylaxis (NUC) has been increasingly reported.