A Case of Balloon Dilatation of Takayasu's Arteritis in Thoracic Arota

Takayasu's arteritis is a nonspecific inflammatory process of unknown etiology affecting segmentally the aorta and its main branches. The predominant clinical features were reducion of amplitude of peripheral arterial pulses, vascular bruits, and raised blood pressure. Usually it can be managed with medical treatment and surgical treatment. Recently percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty is performed, but the report of balloon angioplasty of the thoracicaorta is rare.

Authors experienced a case of percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty of Takayasu's arteritis involving thoracic arota. The peak systolic gradient across the constriction decreased from 90mmHg to 20mmHg immediately after dilatation and the pulses of the femoral and the dorsalis pedis arteries were palpated after angioplastic dilatation.