Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2009 Jun;26(1):78-83. 10.12701/yujm.2009.26.1.78.

Fibromuscular Dysplasia of the Distal Internal Carotid and Middle Cerebral Artery

• Kim JH
• Lee J

• KMID: 1469825
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2009.26.1.78

Abstract

Fibromuscular dysplasia is an uncommon condition of idiopathic, non-inflammatory and non-atherosclerotic disease of the musculature of arterial walls. The disease is rare, but it commonly affects young and middle aged women. Isolated intracranial cerebral fibromuscular dysplasia is extremely rare because cerebral fibromuscular dysplasia usually affects extracranial vessels. A 26-year-old woman was admitted with right hemiplegia and global aphasia. Brain MRI and MRA demonstrated acute left middle cerebral artery territory infarction with a multifocal stenosis and dilatation of the left middle cerebra artery and left internal carotid. The characteristic conventional cerebral angiographic findings demonstrated a typical string-of-beads appearance in the left distal internal carotid artery and proximal portion of the left middle cerebral artery, which suggested a medial type fibromuscular dysplasia. We report a case of isolated intracranial fibromuscular dysplasia with left middle cerebral artery territory infarction. Fibromuscular dysplasia should be considered as a stroke risk factors in children and young adults, especially in patients with no known cardiovascular risk factors.

Keyword

Fibromuscular dysplasia; Middle cerebral artery; Cerebral infarction

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aphasia
Arteries
Brain
Carotid Artery, Internal
Cerebral Infarction
Child
Constriction, Pathologic
Dilatation
Female
Fibromuscular Dysplasia
Hemiplegia
Humans
Infarction
Middle Aged
Middle Cerebral Artery
Risk Factors
Stroke
Young Adult