Aortic Dissection in Takayasu Arteritis

Aortic dissection (AD) is a rare complication of Takayasu arteritis (TA). The clinical presentation and long-term management outcomes of AD in patients with TA have not been well described.

We conducted a retrospective study of patients with TA along with AD admitted to Fuwai Hospital between January 1985 and March 2016. Clinical data and follow-up data were collected and analyzed.

Of the 1,154 patients with TA, we identified 10 patients (0.87%) with AD, which was likely to be associated with vasculitis. All patients were females with a median age at TA onset of 26.5 years (range: 18.3-33.3 years), had type III TA and had a history of hypertension, which was much more common than that in previously reported cases. Stanford type B or DeBakey category III was the dominant anatomic classification of AD. Four patients developed AD after the diagnosis of TA, and 6 developed AD near the time of TA diagnosis. Nine patients underwent conservative treatment, whereas 1 patient underwent endovascular repair due to extensive dissection. At a median 70.5-month follow-up (range: 31.5-138.5), we found that 7 patients had no AD progression, 1 patient had progressed without symptoms, 1 patient was lost and 1 patient died.

Patients with TA along with long-standing and poorly controlled hypertension are liable to develop AD. Those with extensive AD in TA should be carefully treated and intensively followed up.