Renal Arteries Dysplastic Aneurysms: Anatomopathological and Genetic Study

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is localized structural defects in the arterial wall, whose innate or acquired character is still unknown. This segmental non atheromatous injury, leads to stenosis of the arteries of small and medium caliber. Renal arteries are the most commonly affected with 60-75% of total fibrodysplasia. Three histological subtypes have been described: intimal, medial and peri-medial. They are not mutually exclusive and can be observed in the same patient.

This is a rare blood disease, occurring in children and young adults. In this young population with long life expectancy, these aneurysmal lesion are associated with 10% risk of rupture. To date, no data have shown in the literature that FMD is link to genetic causes, or if there is specific histopathologic lesions for non-atherosclerotic renal artery aneurysms.

To answer these questions, Cardiovascular Surgery Unit of the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, French national reference center for renal artery surgery, in association with the Reference Center for Rare Vascular Disease in Paris, designed the first study for pathological and genetic characteristics of dysplastic renal artery aneurysms in young patients.