Fibromuscular dysplasia

Fibromuscular dysplasia
The "string-of-beads" feature in multi-focal fibromuscular dysplasia. The sign is caused by areas of relative stenoses alternating with small aneurysms.
Specialty	Cardiology

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory disease of the blood vessels that causes abnormal growth within the wall of an artery.^[1] FMD has been found in nearly every arterial bed in the body, although the most commonly affected are the renal and carotid arteries.^[1][2][3]

There are various types of FMD, with multi-focal fibroplasia being the most common. Less common forms of the disease include focal (previously known as intimal) and adventitial fibroplasia.^[1][2][3][4] FMD predominantly affects middle-aged women, but it has been found in men and people of all ages.^[1] Pediatric cases of FMD are vastly different from those of the adult population, and poorly studied. The prevalence of FMD is not known; although the disease was initially thought to be rare, some studies have suggested that it may be underdiagnosed.^[5]