Follow-up CT evaluation of the mural changes in active Takayasu arteritis.
OBJECTIVE
We wanted to evaluate the mural changes by CT on the follow-up examination of patients with active Takayasu arteritis.


METHODS
The study included 18 patients, (4 males and 14 females), with active Takayasu arteritis. A total of 44 CT examinations were done during the follow-up period (mean: 55.6 months). At the time of the last follow-up CT, the disease, on the basis of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), was found to be inactive in five patients and the disease was active and persistent in 13 patients. The thickness and CT attenuation of the aortic wall on the precontrast, arterial and venous phases were measured on the initial and the follow-up CT examinations. The ratio of the mural attenuation over that of the back muscle on the initial CT was compared with the ratio found on the follow-up CT.


RESULTS
The initial CT findings included high density and calcifications of the aortic wall in the precontrast images and a thickened wall with enhancements in the arterial and the venous phases. A low-attenuation ring was demonstrated in the venous phase in 15 patients (83%). On the follow-up evaluation, the mean mural thickness decreased significantly from 4.1 mm to 2.4 mm. The mean mural attenuation ratio in the venous phase decreased significantly from 1.9 to 1.3 (p = 0.001). The low attenuation ring was identified in seven patients (39%) who had only with active, persistent Takayasu arteritis.


CONCLUSIONS
The mural changes demonstrated by the follow-up CT evaluations for the patients with active Takayasu arteritis included a decrease of the mural thickness and enhancement, disappearance of the low-attenuation ring on the venous phase, and an increase of the mural attenuation and calcification on the precontrast phase.
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea.
Sang Young
SY
Kim
Jae Hyung
JH
Park
Jin Wook
JW
Chung
Hyo Cheol
HC
Kim
Whal
W
Lee
Young Ho
YH
So
Hwan Jun
HJ
Jae
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001027:Aortography; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide