[Grönblad-Strandberg syndrome from the angiological viewpoint]

Therapy of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare, genetic, metabolic disease with an estimated prevalence of between 1 per 25,000 and 56,000. Its main hallmarks are characteristic skin lesions, development of choroidal neovascularization, and early-onset arterial calcification accompanied by a severe reduction in quality-of-life. Underlying the pathology are recessively transmitted pathogenic variants of the ABCC6 gene, which results in a deficiency of ABCC6 protein. This results in reduced levels of peripheral pyrophosphate, a strong inhibitor of peripheral calcification, but also dysregulation of blood lipids. Although various treatment options have emerged during the last 20 years, many are either already outdated or not yet ready to be applied generally. Clinical physicians often are left stranded while patients suffer from the consequences of outdated therapies, or feel unrecognized by their attending doctors who may feel uncertain about using new therapeutic approaches or not even know about them. In this review, we summarize the broad spectrum of treatment options for PXE, focusing on currently available clinical options, the latest research and development, and future perspectives.

Case report of a patient with iliac occlusive disease due to pseudoxantoma elasticum and review of the bibliography

BACKGROUND

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive calcification and fragmentation of elastic fibers in the skin, the retina, and the cardiovascular system, and is also termed as elastorrhexia. The purpose of this case presentation is to report the case of a PXE patient with an atypical localization of atherosclerotic lesion (iliac arteries) and that this rare disease should always be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with premature atheromatosis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A 58-year-old patient, suffering from PXE, came to our clinic to seek advice for his severe lower limb claudication. The image of the magnetic resonance angiography of his aorta, iliac arteries, and lower limb arteries demonstrated total occlusion of the left common iliac artery and preocclusive stenosis of the orifice on the right common iliac artery. The patient was treated successfully by angioplasty with kissing stent placement at the iliac arteries, and 6 months later, he is symptom-free, with ankle-brachial indexes of 1.0 and 1.05 on the left and right legs, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This case report presentation has a primary goal to show that the disease may cause atypical localizations of atherosclerosis (iliac arteries) and a secondary goal to demonstrate that endovascular treatment in these patients may be a safe and viable option. It is also a good opportunity for a brief review of the bibliography.