In the absence of any inflammatory infiltrate or atheromatous, myxoid, or fibrinoid changes, the findings were diagnostic of fibromuscular dysplasia. The renal arteries, the celiac axis, and the iliac arteries were normal. Eighteen months after the operation, the patient was asymptomatic. The cause of fibromuscular dysplasia is not known. Some have suggested that it is an autosomal dominant disorder with variable penetrance.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is also an autosomal dominant disorder with a high degree of penetrance.
However, none of the patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in whom specific mutations were identified also had fibromuscular dysplasia. There are also structural similarities between the two disorders, such as a severe disorganization of the muscle fibers. M.D. Athens University Medical School 10674 Athens, Greece References 1 . The genetics of fibromuscular dysplasia. Return to Text 2 .