Vascular Lesions in Infants with Congenital Rubella

Abstract

Vascular lesions were reviewed in 13 autopsied infants with congenital defects of maternal rubella. The characteristic finding was intimal fibromuscular proliferation. The internal elastic lamella and media were almost always unchanged, even in the presence of a greatly thickened intima. These arterial changes appeared to be unlike other vascular lesions described in infancy. Severe and extensive lesions were found in four infants, and lesser changes in another five. The lesions in the pulmonary artery were probably related to clinically diagnosed peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. Ostial stenosis of a renal artery was found in an infant with documented systemic hypertension.