Takayasu arteritis: palpable neck mass diagnosed by cross sectional imaging

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown origin. The disease is characterized by transmural inflammation and fibrosis; the arterial lesions affect mainly the aorta and great vessels and sometimes involve the pulmonary arteries and visceral vessels. Despite efforts to create criteria for clinical diagnosis, many patients still require angiography for complete evaluation and diagnostic confirmation. We describe a patient with a mass seen on CT and confirmed on MRI; angiography showed changes in the vertebral and carotid arteries. Our case proved to be an atypical presentation of Takayasu arteritis.