A case of sudden death caused by fibromuscular dysplasia

Abstract

After sudden unexpected death in a previously healthy 42 year old woman, necropsy examination showed myocardial infarction caused by occlusion of a vital coronary artery by fibromuscular dysplasia. This is a rare arterial disease with a clinical onset usually in the third or fourth decades of life. The aetiology is not fully understood but since it affects vital (cerebral and coronary) blood vessels it often has fatal consequences.