Hepatic and mesenteric fibromuscular dysplasia: an uncommon entity

Dissection of the common hepatic artery is a rare cause of acute abdomen. In this case report, we discuss a 58-year-old woman who presented with severe epigastric and back pain, for which she had an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. On CT images, a dissection of the common hepatic artery, extending to its right and left dividing branches and a diffusely pathological aspect of the hepatic and digestive arterial network was noted. A diagnosis of extensive fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) was suggested. FMD is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory arterial disease that most commonly involves the renal and extracranial carotid arteries, but almost all arterial beds may be affected. There is a high prevalence of aneurysm and dissection among patients with FMD.