Pediatric Takayasu Arteritis

• Etiology:
  — Large vessel vasculitis due to chronic idiopathic granulomatous inflammation of large arteries
  — Wall inflammation leads to wall thickening which leads to luminal narrowing
• Imaging:
  — Affects thoracic and abdominal aorta simultaneously along with their branches (renal arteries) and occasionally pulmonary artery or coronary arteries
  — Thickened enhancing wall of aorta and its branches with luminal narrowing with or without thrombus
  — Diffuse or focal aneurysms
• Imaging CT: Calcification
• Imaging MRI:
  — T2WI: Increased signal is sign of active inflammation
• DDX:
• Treatment:
• Complications: Vascular stenosis, occlusion, aneurysm (less common)
• Clinical:
  — Presents in adolescence
  — Has 3 phases – early prepulseless phase, vascular inflammatory phase, late occlusive phase

Radiology Cases of Takayasu Arteritis