Femoropopliteal arterial fibrodysplasia

Fibrodysplasia is a rare and unusual cause of obstruction of the superficial femoral or popliteal artery. Three young patients with intermittent claudication due to occlusion of the femoropopliteal artery are described. Histological examination showed destruction of the elastic and muscle fibres of the media. In one patient secondary fibrosis of the intima was seen. The adventitia showed an increase in elastin fibres in all cases. The lesions described can be respectively classified as perimedial fibroplasia, as medial dissection and as intimal fibroplasia. This is the first description of a patient with histopathologically proven perimedial fibroplasia and medial dissection of the femoropoliteal artery and the second case of intimal fibroplasia.