title: Fibromuscular dysplasia of cardiac conduction system arteries in traumatic and nonnatural sudden death victims aged 0 to 40 years: a histological analysis of 100 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since 1967, numerous case reports have described fibromuscular alterations of the sinus node artery and/or the atrioventricular node artery as a potential cause of death. However, the prevalence of these changes in a healthy population has only rarely been investigated systematically.
  
  
  METHODS
  The arteries of the cardiac conduction system were studied systematically, by means of routine histology, in 100 cases of victims aged 0 to 40 years with a nonnatural cause of death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microscopic alterations were seen in the walls of sinus node arteries in 52 out of 100 cases, in the walls of atrioventricular node arteries in 63/100 cases, and in the walls of small vessels in 60/100 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate that microscopically detectable findings of the cardiac conduction system arteries similar to fibromuscular dysplasia do not indicate a defined disease and should not be considered as a cause of death when there are no macroscopic findings in the coronary arteries.
authors: Institute of Forensic Medicine/Rechtsmedizin, Rostock University Medical Center, St.-Georg-Strasse 108, 18055 Rostock, Germany.
authors: Fred
authors: F
authors: Zack
authors: Grit
authors: G
authors: Kutter
authors: Verena
authors: V
authors: Blaas
authors: Ann-Katrin
authors: AK
authors: Rodewald
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Büttner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005352:Fibromuscular Dysplasia / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Arteries; Cardiac conduction system; Fibromuscular dysplasia; Sudden cardiac death