Carotid lesions detected by B-mode ultrasonography in Takayasu's arteritis: "macaroni sign" as an indicator of the disease.
Twenty-three patients were studied to evaluate the clinical usefulness of high resolution B-mode ultrasonography in the detection of carotid lesions in patients with Takayasu's arteritis. In each patient the carotid arteries were examined using both B-mode ultrasonography (midfrequency of 7.5 MHz) and contrast angiography. In 19 of 23 patients, B-mode ultrasonography clearly demonstrated the characteristic circumferential arterial wall thickening of either one or both sides of the common carotid arteries as a macaroni-like, diffusely thickened intima-media complex. Conversely, contrast angiography demonstrated carotid lesions in only 13 of 23 patients. These results clearly show that B-mode ultrasonography is quite sensitive and superior in the detection of the characteristic thick intima-media complex of the common carotid artery in patients with Takayasu's arteritis, when compared with contrast angiography that is usually used for the definitive diagnosis of this disease.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
H
H
Maeda
N
N
Handa
M
M
Matsumoto
H
H
Hougaku
S
S
Ogawa
N
N
Oku
T
T
Itoh
H
H
Moriwaki
S
S
Yoneda
K
K
Kimura
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000792:Angiography; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014741:Video Recording