Dermatitis of the Leg Following Saphenous Venectomy-Reply

We thank Dr McGrae for his interest in our article. His letter reminds us of several important points. Dr McGrae suggests that this eruption is clinically and histologically similar to asteatotic dermatitis. We certainly agree, and as stated in our article, the eruption presents as a relatively nonspecific dermatitis. The distinguishing feature is that saphenous vein graft donor site dermatitis is unilateral and limited only to the leg where the saphenous vein was harvested and that it immediately overlies the distal end of the scar. In addition, in our cases the dermatitis was localized to an area of sensory neuropathy and resolved with resolution of the sensory loss. Further, we point out, as Dr McGrae does, that neuralgia in this location would likely exacerbate xerosis and the dermatitis by external influences, such as overbathing or other incidental trauma, supporting the possible significance of neuropathy in this setting. Our patients did