livedo reticularis
Enable an agent to recognise, document and follow livedo reticularis while distinguishing the observed skin pattern from its possible causes and identifying when clinical assessment is needed.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 9 layers · 13 findings · 22 questions
Reticular pattern recognition Establish what is visible before assigning a diagnostic interpretation.
Network and colour
Capture the arrangement of discoloration and intervening skin.
Observable reticulation
Record ring continuity, branching, colour contrast and whether the evidence comes from examination or an image.
- Does the discoloration form connected borders around paler centres, and are those borders complete or broken? definition
- Who observed the pattern, under what lighting, and with what limits on visibility? provenance
Body map and integrity
Locate the pattern and document accompanying surface changes.
Mapped skin involvement
Maintain a site-specific account of symmetry, extent and intact or damaged skin.
- Which sites are involved, and is the pattern bilateral, asymmetric or confined to one area? measurement
- Are ulcers, necrosis, nodules or scars present within or beside the network? boundary
Thermal response and course Describe when the pattern appears, fades and recurs.
Cold and warming observations
Compare visibility across recorded thermal conditions.
Documented thermal response
Separate reported cold sensitivity from directly observed change with warming.
- Was cold exposure reported or observed before the pattern appeared? provenance
- After ordinary warming, how much did the pattern fade and over what observed interval? measurement
Onset and recurrence
Establish the temporal history of the skin state.
Episode history
Record first appearance, continuously affected periods, recurrences and intervals without visible livedo.
- Was the pattern present at birth, first noticed later, or of uncertain onset? provenance
- Between episodes does the skin return to its usual appearance, and has duration or extent changed? measurement
Classification and causal evidence Separate descriptive terminology from hypotheses about the underlying process.
Terminology and neighbours
Preserve the meaning intended by the person or source applying the label.
Qualified livedo label
Record whether livedo reticularis is being used narrowly or as an umbrella term, retaining the observed features independently.
- Does the assessor distinguish livedo racemosa from livedo reticularis, and which definition is being applied? definition
- What evidence favours this label over a congenital reticulate lesion, heat-related eruption or another vascular colour change? boundary
Exposure and disease links
Organise candidate explanations without asserting causation from appearance alone.
Supported causal attribution
Maintain the timing and evidential status of medication, environmental and systemic-condition links.
- Which exposures or diagnosed conditions preceded the livedo, and what evidence connects them to it? provenance
- What assessment supports a physiological, idiopathic or secondary interpretation, and what alternatives remain unresolved? boundary
Clinical assessment and follow-up Connect the observed skin state to review decisions and subsequent outcomes.
Associated concerns
Capture features that affect the need and urgency of clinical assessment.
Review trigger evidence
Persistent pathological livedo warrants clinical investigation; record the clinician's assessment and rationale. [PCDS clinical guidance](https://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/livedo-reticularis)
- Is the pattern accompanied by pain, tissue injury, neurological symptoms or systemic illness? measurement
- What review urgency was assigned, by whom, and which observed features justified it? action
Assessment results and response
Track whether assessment or management changes the interpretation and course.
Interpretable follow-up
Link clinician-directed investigations and management to dated skin observations, retaining unresolved causes.
- Which clinical question did each investigation address, and how did its result change the interpretation? provenance
- Following the agreed management, did the network's persistence, extent or associated symptoms change under comparable conditions? measurement
- Which changes should trigger reassessment, and who is responsible for follow-up? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of livedo reticularis this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of livedo reticularis this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of livedo reticularis this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of livedo reticularis this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of livedo reticularis this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.KNW
What it is Filled
Livedo reticularis is a cutaneous vascular sign consisting of a netlike pattern of reddish-blue or violaceous discoloration caused by altered blood flow and oxygenation in the skin's microcirculation.
In scope
- Recognition and documentation of reticular skin discoloration
- Distribution, symmetry, persistence and response to warming
- Evidence supporting physiological, primary, secondary or unresolved classification
- Boundaries with livedo racemosa and other reticulate eruptions
- Associated symptoms, assessment decisions and longitudinal change
Out of scope
- Complete models of antiphospholipid syndrome, vasculitis and other underlying diseases
- Livedoid vasculopathy as a distinct ulcerating vascular disorder
- Congenital vascular malformations and their systemic features
- Full models of Raynaud phenomenon, acrocyanosis and heat-induced skin injury
- Laboratory assay specifications, biopsy procedures and disease-specific prescribing
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise, document and follow livedo reticularis while distinguishing the observed skin pattern from its possible causes and identifying when clinical assessment is needed.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Look for interconnected reddish-blue or violaceous borders surrounding paler skin, forming a network rather than isolated patches. [PCDS clinical guidance](https://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/livedo-reticularis)
- Record regular complete rings versus irregular broken segments; the latter supports a livedo racemosa description, although terminology varies. [PCDS clinical guidance](https://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/livedo-reticularis)
- Establish whether cold brings out the pattern and warming reduces it; persistence alone does not establish a secondary cause. [DermNet clinical overview](https://dermnetnz.org/topics/livedo-reticularis)
- Check for painful ulcers and white scars, which require consideration of livedoid vasculopathy rather than treating the presentation as discoloration alone. [PCDS clinical guidance](https://www.pcds.org.uk/clinical-guidance/livedo-reticularis)
- Establish birth onset and repeated local heat exposure when separating acquired livedo from congenital or heat-related reticulate presentations. [DermNet clinical overview](https://dermnetnz.org/topics/livedo-reticularis)
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose the underlying cause from a photo or description.
- Dismiss the sign as cosmetic when it may point to vascular or autoimmune disease.
- Alarm a person by naming serious diseases as certain causes.
- Store or share skin images of a person without consent.
Only with a human decision
- Any decision about investigating or treating the cause.
May
- Describe livedo reticularis as a skin sign and its harmless and serious causes, citing sources.
- Suggest seeing a clinician when the pattern is new, persistent or comes with other symptoms.
Moral aspects Filled
- The same pattern can be harmless or a sign of serious illness; overconfidence either way harms.
- Skin photos are personal health data.
Who is affected
- Patients
- People with autoimmune or vascular disease
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the sign; clinicians answer for each patient's care.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q6658154 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.livedo-reticularis
- Wikidata: Q2003151 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2003151)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- Network geometry: regular complete rings; irregular broken segments; mixed; indeterminate
- Anatomical distribution: body sites, laterality and localised or widespread extent
- Response to warming: resolves; partially fades; unchanged; not assessed
- Observation conditions: ambient temperature in degrees Celsius and elapsed observation time in minutes, when available
- Episode duration: minutes, hours or days; ongoing duration recorded separately
- Skin integrity: intact; ulcerated; necrotic; scarred; unassessed
- Clinical classification: physiological; primary or idiopathic; secondary; unresolved, with assessor and terminology source
- Candidate cause: linked exposure or condition with suspected, supported, excluded or unresolved status
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Reddish-blue or purplish lines form a lace-like network around relatively pale areas of skin.
- The pattern consists of interconnected rings or meshes rather than isolated spots or uniform discoloration.
- The affected surface usually remains flat, so the network is primarily a colour change rather than a raised eruption.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Describe and compare the reticular pattern across documented observations.
- Record change with ordinary warming and environmental conditions.
- Flag atypical morphology, tissue injury or associated symptoms for clinical review.
- Link candidate causes to supporting and conflicting evidence.
- Track clinician-directed assessment and the skin response to management.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Treating a persistent or symptomatic pattern as harmless can delay recognition of an underlying vascular or systemic disorder.
- Confusing the finding with bruising, inflammation or another vascular pattern can lead to inaccurate documentation and inappropriate care.
- Inferring a specific disease from the appearance alone can cause unnecessary alarm or inappropriate treatment.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, issued by the World Health Organization, includes livedo reticularis in its classification of skin signs.
Context of use required Filled
- Livedo reticularis is encountered during observation or clinical examination of the skin, often on the limbs.
- Documenting its distribution, persistence and associated symptoms helps clinicians assess whether the finding reflects a transient response or an underlying condition.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2003151: livedo reticularis - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Livedo reticularis - general description of the item
Open questions
- Which terminology should this registry adopt where sources disagree about whether livedo racemosa belongs within livedo reticularis or is a distinct descriptive category?
- What reproducible warming protocol and observation interval, if any, are validated for documenting reversibility?
- How reliably can clinicians and image-based systems recognise network geometry across skin tones, lighting conditions and image quality?
- Which clinical features justify particular investigations in persistent livedo without other symptoms, and how consistent are recommendations across guidelines?
- Which measures of extent, persistence and patient impact are sufficiently validated for longitudinal comparison?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2003151/spec.json