Structural studies of arteries by quantitative MRI in vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS type IV):

Peter Byers, MD University of Washington, Seattle, WA   "Structural studies of arteries by quantitative MRI in vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS type lV): genotype/phenotype characterization"   Dr. Peter Byers and his colleagues (William Kerwin, Ulrike Schwarze and Melanie Pepin) of the University of Washington School of Medicine (Seattle) will use high-resolution MRI to study major arteries in individuals with the vascular form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) in an effort to determine if certain types of drugs would be most likely to reduce the risk of arterial rupture, the usual cause of premature death in affected individuals. The vascular form of EDS, EDS type IV, is a rare disorder that affects about 1/100,000 individuals and results from mutations in the type III collagen gene, COL3A1. Affected individuals die prematurely from arterial rupture. Currently there are no effective therapies. These investigators hope that study of the vascular wall by non-invasive techniques (MRI) will help to define new and effective treatments.