Vasculitis presenting as chronic unilateral painful leg swelling.

We describe 2 patients who presented with chronic painful indurated swelling of one lower limb, thought at the time of referral to be due to chronic venous insufficiency. Reassessment because of marked periostitis of the tibia and fibula as well as laboratory indices consistent with an inflammatory process revealed acute necrotizing arteritis in one patient and granulomatous arteritis in the other. Clinicians should be aware of this unusual presentation of treatable vasculitic diseases.