Table 3.

Top Research Priorities in FMD

Determination of the prevalence of FMD in the general population of women aged 18 to 65 years

Understanding of unique biological and genetic determinants of FMD, including identification of determinants of arterial bed involvement and the development of arterial narrowing versus aneurysm vs dissection

Understanding the role of sex hormones in the pathogenesis of FMD, including the female preponderance of the disease and the potential contribution of exogenous hormones (oral contraceptives and systemic hormone replacement) to its pathogenesis

Creation of a rational and cost‐effective approach to vascular screening for patients with FMD identified in 1 vascular bed (ie, what additional imaging should be obtained for a patient with isolated renal FMD)

Development and validation of Doppler criteria for diagnosis of carotid and renal medial fibroplasia using duplex ultrasound

Characterization of the natural history of FMD in the symptomatic and asymptomatic patient population, including disease progression and interval development of major vascular events (eg, stroke, arterial dissection, mortality); development of tools for risk stratification of FMD patients and prognosis based on these data

Determination of the prevalence of cerebral aneurysms in FMD patients and if FMD patients with cerebral aneurysm are at higher risk of subsequent rupture

Characterization of the risk of pregnancy associated with FMD (eg, risk of uncontrolled hypertension, arterial dissection)

Characterization and understanding of the mechanisms of headache among FMD patients and development of effective treatment algorithms for symptom prevention and treatment

Determination of the feasibility of a randomized, clinical trial of optimal therapy for primary/secondary prevention of stroke/TIA among patients with cerebrovascular FMD

Determination of the feasibility of a randomized, clinical trial of medical therapy vs endovascular therapy for treatment of hypertension among patients with renal FMD

Reprinted with permission from Olin et al.¹ FMD indicates fibromuscular dysplasia; TIA, transient ischemic attack.