Endofibrosis as a cause of peripheral artery disease: a comprehensive review and proposal of two novel algorithms for diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Endofibrosis is a rare condition affecting blood vessels, occurring mainly among young healthy athletes. This condition arises as progressive stenosis of the iliac arteries, which attenuates the blood circulation of the limb, thus leading to pain during movement. Iliac artery compression was first described in 1984 among professional cyclists. Some authors have reported that up to 10–20% of top athletes are affected. Endofibrosis is one of the rare causes of peripheral artery disease, in which the exact prevalence is unknown, possessing no any accurate data. This comprehensive review is purposed to sum up the current knowledge of endofibrosis and ensure concise information about its etiology, and diagnostic and treatment modalities. In addition, two cases including imagery are purposed to be presented to illustrate the perioperative findings.