Fetal arterial involvement in Behcet's disease: an electron microscope study

A fetus, 16 weeks old, was removed by hysterotomy from a patient suffering from Behcet's disease. The patient received systemic steroids during pregnancy. Electron microscopy of the fetal thoracic aorta revealed edema of the sub-endothelial space and of the luminal part of the tunica media, as well as a pronounced rarefaction and disarrangement of the smooth-muscle cells. Results obtained from two human fetal aortae used as controls suggest that the fetal aortic lesions were caused by the maternal disease and not by the exposure to steroids.