Cerebrovascular symptoms in thromboangiitis obliterans

Forty-six consecutive patients with thromboangiitis obliterans were evaluated and examined for the presence of neurological symptoms during a cumulative follow-up period of 833 patient-years. Only one patient (2%), with no other risk factor for stroke, suffered an episode of transient aphasia and right hemiparesis at the age of 59. The diagnostic difficulties in the delineation of cerebral thromboangiitis obliterans are discussed. The rarity of the cerebral manifestations make it difficult to conclude that cerebrovascular manifestations are part of this disease.