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Aortic Dimensions Are Larger in Patients With Fibromuscular Dysplasia

Arielle M Schwartz1, Esther Kim2, Patrick Gleason3

  • 1Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program Emory University Atlanta GA.

Journal of the American Heart Association
|June 14, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a vascular condition that can affect the aorta. This study found that women with FMD have larger aortic dimensions compared to healthy individuals, suggesting FMD may impact large arteries.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Genetics and Disease Etiology

Background:

  • Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory vasculopathy of unknown cause.
  • It typically affects medium-sized arteries, leading to stenosis, aneurysm, or dissection.
  • Aortic involvement in FMD is not widely recognized, challenging current understanding of the disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether aortic dimensions are abnormal in patients diagnosed with FMD.
  • To test the hypothesis that aortic size differs in FMD patients compared to age- and sex-matched controls.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records and CT angiography images from 94 female FMD patients.
  • Measurement of aortic dimensions at six distinct landmarks.
  • Comparison of patient aortic measurements with published normative values for healthy women using t-tests.

Main Results:

  • Female patients with FMD exhibited significantly larger aortic dimensions, both absolute and height-indexed, across all six measured segments (P<0.001).
  • The most pronounced differences were observed in the sinotubular junction, ascending aorta, and descending aorta.
  • Common FMD locations included extracranial carotid (77.7%) and renal (43.6%) arteries.

Conclusions:

  • Female patients with FMD demonstrate enlarged aortic diameters relative to normative data.
  • These findings indicate that FMD may extend its pathological effects to involve large arteries, including the aorta.
  • This suggests a broader spectrum of vascular involvement in FMD than previously understood.
Keywords:
aneurysmaortafibromuscular dysplasiavascularwomen’s health

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