Takayasu's Arteritis

Abstract

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic vasculitis of unknown etiology that typically occurs in women. It affects the aorta and its main branches, leading to either arterial stenoses or aneurysms. Here we report a case of a 42-year-old woman presenting with loss of peripheral vision in her left eye. On ultrasound imaging, she had distinctive findings of Takayasu's arteritis with marked circumferential thickening of the intimal-medial layer in the left common carotid artery and characteristic sparing of the carotid bulb and internal carotid artery. The diagnosis was further supported by computed topography findings of aneurysms in the subclavian artery and aorta. Awareness of these ultrasound findings may be of particular importance to many echocardiographers who are extending their practice into vascular imaging.