Arterial complications of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Two patients considered to be examples of the Type IV or "arterial" variety of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) are presented. In case 1 there seems to be little doubt about the diagnosis. Case 2, which is currently under treatment also appears to be an example of EDS, Type IV. The multiple arterial aneurysms and the findings on the skin biopsy appear to substantiate the diagnosis. These two cases demonstrate some of the features of the Type IV variety of EDS. In the first case visceral artery aneurysms dominated the clinical picture and in the second case peripheral arterial aneurysms were dominant. In neither case were the classical manifestations of the disorder, skin hyperelasticity and joint hypermobility, prominent.