Heterozygous carriers of Pseudoxanthoma elasticum were not found among patients with cervical artery dissections.

In this study of patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissections (sCAD) we searched for mutations in ABCC6, the candidate gene for Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). Genomic DNA samples from 12 sCAD patients with pronounced electron microscopic alterations in their dermal connective tissue and from 2 patients with PXE were analysed. One patient with PXE was compound heterozygous for two missense point mutations, in the second patient with PXE we did not find changes in the ABCC6 gene.

Analysis of the COL3A1 gene in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissections.

The etiology of spontaneous cervical artery dissection (sCAD) is unknown. An underlying connective tissue disorder has been suggested. As a collagen disease is conceivable several genes encoding fibrillar collagens have been condsidered as candidate genes for sCAD.