With the progress in angioplasty, not all patients suffering from FMD undergo a primary surgical therapy and therefore this lesion is less seen in the daily work of the histopathologist.

Coarctation of the aorta usually occurs in the aortic isthmus: however, 2% of all coarctation is localized at atypical sites such as the aortic arch and the thoracic and/or abdominal aorta. Causal therapy involves vascular surgery, and during the procedure, biopsies of the involved vessels should be taken to establish the etiology. This study involved the retrospective analysis of clinical and histopathological findings for seven patients who underwent vascular surgical procedures (age range, 10-37 years; male/female ratio 3:4). Histopathological analysis of specimens revealed two pathological processes taking place with different localization in the aortic wall as the cause of the atypical coarctation of the aorta: (1) fibrosis/scarification in the tunica media and adventitia compatible with chronic lesions of Takayasu's arteritis (four cases); (2) fibromuscular dysplasia in the tunica media (three cases).

A 90-year-old woman developed intraductal adenocarcinoma (TNM classification pT2, G2) of the left breast 18 years after initial pacemaker implantation deep to the left breast. There was no evidence of local or distant metastasis and she was treated with local excision and tamoxifen.

In this study we confirmed that in renal arteries, a transitional zone (TZ) that is an arterial segment with transition from elastic to muscular type, does exist, involving the maximal length of 10 mm. Further studies on the impact of the biomechanical properties of the transitional zone as a potential localizing factor in renal atherosclerotic disease are justified. In addition, the complex biomechanical behavior of the TZ of the arterial wall should be taken into consideration when interventional procedures are planned.

In this study we confirmed that in the carotid artery tripod, a TZ--an arterial segment with transition from elastic to muscular type--does exist, involving a variable length. Furthermore studies on the impact of the biomechanical properties of the TZ as a potential factor in atherosclerotic disease are justified. In addition, the complex biomechanical behavior of the TZ should be considered prior to interventional procedures.