Operative treatment of nonspecific aortoarteritis (Takayasu's arteritis)

Operative treatment of nonspecific aortoarteritis remains controversial and little information is available on the results of reconstruction of extracranial cerebral vasculature in this disease. Our experience with 25 patients with histologically proven symptomatic disease treated during a 4-year period is presented. The aortic arch and its branches were involved in 12 patients and 13 had disease affecting the descending aorta and its tributaries. Patients with cerebrovascular disease had aneurysms, minor stroke, or intermittent neurologic dysfunction. Descending aortic involvement resulted either in symptomatic or ruptured aneurysm and renovascular hypertension. Operative treatment of cerebrovascular disease comprised aortic arch (three patients), carotid (three patients), or subclavian artery reconstruction (six patients). Descending aortic reconstruction comprised thoracoabdominal (four patients) or infrarenal (five patients) aneurysmorrhaphy, abdominal aortic replacement with bilateral renal artery reconstruction (two patients), and nephrectomy (two patients). One early postoperative death occurred because of stroke. Twenty-four survivors have been observed between 3 and 42 months. No deaths or further neurologic episodes have occurred during this period and three of five hypertensive patients were cured. We conclude that symptomatic aortoarteritis, including cerebrovascular disease, may be treated by standard operative techniques with rewarding results.