Mitochondrial vasculopathy

Core Tip

Core tip: Recently, it has been shown that rarely also the arteries may be affected in mitochondrial disorders, known as mitochondrial vasculopathy. Mitochondrial vasculopathy manifests as either microangiopathy or macroangiopathy. Clinical manifestations of mitochondrial microangiopathy include leukoencephalopathy, migraine-like headache, stroke-like episodes, or peripheral retinopathy. Mitochondrial macroangiopathy manifests as atherosclerosis, ectasia of arteries, aneurysm formation, dissection, or spontaneous rupture of arteries. The diagnosis relies on the documentation and confirmation of the mitochondrial metabolic defect or the genetic cause after exclusion of non-mitochondrial causes. Treatment is not at variance compared to treatment of vasculopathy due to non-mitochondrial causes.