Sonographic evaluation of renal mobility in renovascular fibromuscular dysplasia and renal donors

Increased renal mobility has been hypothesized to play a major etiologic role in renovascular fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). Thirty patients with arteriographically demonstrable FMD, and 54 healthy renal donors were examined by real-time ul trasonography to test this hypothesis. The sonographic examinations were designed to measure several indices of kidney mobility, e.g., maximum displacement of each kidney and maximum shift of the renal axis during both phases of the respiratory cycle and prone and upright positions. Our results demonstrate significantly (P<.05) less movement of kidneys with FMD-affected renal arteries when compared with renal donors, and thus fail to support the previously hypothesized etiologic role of increased kidney mobility in FMD patients