title: Takayasu arteritis presenting as retinal and vertebrobasilar ischemia.
abstract: A young woman presented with a 4-month history of retinal and vertebrobasilar ischemia. Angiography demonstrated narrowing of major branches of the aortic arch. Intractable, severe retroorbital pain of the right eye developed after a middle cerebral artery stroke. During 4 weeks of aggressive immunosuppressive therapy including IV high dose bolus corticosteroids and pulse cyclophosphamide, her neurologic deficit improved transiently, but her retroorbital pain persisted. She died of staphylococcal sepsis and pneumonia. An autopsy demonstrated thrombotic or fibrous occlusion, with minimal inflammation, of extracranial arteries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66103.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Lindsley
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Van Veldhuizen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001015:Aortic Arch Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009915:Orbit / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain; D012171:Retinal Vessels; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents