Left ventricular geometry in Takayasu arteritis complicated by severe aortic regurgitation

Although it has been reported that the aortic regurgitation (AR) of patients with Takayasu arteritis is due to dilatation of the aortic ring, the geometry of the left ventricle (LV) has not been described. We compared the cardiac findings in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA) and severe AR with those of patients having severe AR of other origins. Echocardiographically, wall thickness (WT) and the concentric hypertrophic ratio (WT/WT + left ventricular end-diastolic dimension) were greater in patients with TA. It is concluded that the LV of the TA patients revealed concentric hypertrophy even when AR was severe.