Prospective long-term follow-up of patients with localised Wegener's granulomatosis: does it occur as persistent disease stage?

Objective To identify patients with localised Wegener's granulomatosis (locWG) to assess whether it occurs as a long-term disease stage or phenotype and to characterise its outcome. Methods Patients in a ‘localised stage’ with histological criteria compatible with WG and a follow-up period of ≥1 year were included. They were prospectively followed at the Vasculitis Center Schleswig-Holstein from 1989 to 2009 and the clinical manifestations,...