Fibromuscular dysplasia presenting as a renal infarction: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Fibromuscular dysplasia is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory disease that most commonly affects the renal and internal carotid arteries.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a 44-year-old Caucasian man who was admitted with complaints of loin pain and hypertension. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a right renal infarction with a nodular aspect of the right renal artery. Subsequent renal angiography revealed a typical 'string of beads' pattern of the right renal artery with thrombus formation. Oral anticoagulation was started and the secondary hypertension was easily controlled with anti-hypertensive drugs. At follow-up, our patient refused percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty as a definitive treatment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Fibromuscular dysplasia is the most common cause of renovascular hypertension in patients under 50 years of age. Presentation with renal infarction is rare.</p> <p>In fibromuscular dysplasia, angioplasty has been proven to have, at least for some indications, an advantage over anti-hypertensive drugs. Therefore, hypertension secondary to fibromuscular dysplasia is the most common cause of curable hypertension.</p

A systematic review of the literature examining the diagnostic efficacy of measurement of fractionated plasma free metanephrines in the biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytoma

BACKGROUND: Fractionated plasma metanephrine measurements are commonly used in biochemical testing in search of pheochromocytoma. METHODS: We aimed to critically appraise the diagnostic efficacy of fractionated plasma free metanephrine measurements in detecting pheochromocytoma. Nine electronic databases, meeting abstracts, and the Science Citation Index were searched and supplemented with previously unpublished data. Methodologic and reporting quality was independently assessed by two endocrinologists using a checklist developed by the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Studies Accuracy Group and data were independently abstracted. RESULTS: Limitations in methodologic quality were noted in all studies. In all subjects (including those with genetic predisposition): the sensitivities for detection of pheochromocytoma were 96%–100% (95% CI ranged from 82% to 100%), whereas the specificities were 85%–100% (95% CI ranged from 78% to 100%). Statistical heterogeneity was noted upon pooling positive likelihood ratios when those with predisposition to disease were included (p < 0.001). However, upon pooling the positive or negative likelihood ratios for patients with sporadic pheochromocytoma (n = 191) or those at risk for sporadic pheochromocytoma (n = 718), no statistical heterogeneity was noted (p = 0.4). For sporadic subjects, the pooled positive likelihood ratio was 5.77 (95% CI = 4.90, 6.81) and the pooled negative likelihood ratio was 0.02 (95% CI = 0.01, 0.07). CONCLUSION: Negative plasma fractionated free metanephrine measurements are effective in ruling out pheochromocytoma. However, a positive test result only moderately increases suspicion of disease, particularly when screening for sporadic pheochromocytoma