Stent supported angioplasty in Takayasu arteritis

Eleven patients with Takayasu Arteritis (TA) underwent angioplasty and sten t placement in aorta, renal, carotid, subclavian and coronary arteries. Fiv e wall stents were deployed in aorta in four patients. Indications for angi oplasty and stent placement in aorta included hypertension in four patients and claudication and erectile impotence in one patient each. Post-procedur e the peak systolic pressure gradient across the stenotic segment in the ao rta disappeared. Six patients underwent angioplasty and stent placement in carotid arteries. Indications were syncope in 6 patients, loss of vision, s troke, transient ischaemic attack and seizures in one patients each. There was a marked improvement in symptoms in the patients following the procedur e. For chronic total occlusion of subclavian arteries, two stents were depl oyed in two patients. Following the stent placement pulses in upper limb re appeared. Stents were also deployed to treat near total occlusion of right coronary artery and flow limited dissection of renal artery in one patient each. Complications of the procedure included pain in the back, mild hypert ension, transient bradycardia and conduction block in one patient each. In conclusion, the stenotic and obliterative vascular lesions in TA can be man aged successfully with angioplasty and stent placement. A long term follow up is required to determine the re-stenosis rate. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.