SUDDEN CARDIAC-ARREST IN A TEENAGER AS FIRST MANIFESTATION OF TAKAYASUS DISEASE

A 14-year-old girl was rescued from a sudden cardiac arrest at school. Aortography disclosed mild aortic root dilation with aortic valve inc ompetence and subocclusion of coronary ostia and left common carotid a rtery. An emergency aortocoronary bypass operation was undertaken, but the patient did not recover from cardiopulmonary bypass. Postmortem d isclosed massive myocardial infarction. The microscopic feature of art erial involvement was consistent with giant cell Takayasu's arteritis. The abrupt clinical presentation in this teenager with coronary ostia l subocclusion is very unusual.