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A 73-year-old woman with a history of aortitis syndrome was referred to our hospital presenting with congestive heart failure caused by acute severe mitral regurgitation due to posterior leaflet prolapse. Upon admission, the patient fell into shock state while undergoing an examination. Medical treatment including mechanical ventilation could not alleviate circulatory collapse, so emergency surgery was performed on the day of admission. Severe calcification of the ascending aorta and severe stenosis or occlusion of the aortic arch vessels resulted from the patient's aortitis syndrome precluded aortic cannulation and aortic clamp. Therefore, mitral valve repair was performed under ventricular fibrillation at moderate hypothermia. Surgery was successful, and the patient recovered well without any cerebral complications after the surgery.

Arteritis is an inflammatory disease of the vessel walls, resulting in vascular damage and a wide variety of clinical symptoms and multisystem disorders. Because aneurysmal disease, coronary disease, and aortic insufficiency affect patient prognosis, surgical intervention plays an important role. Preoperatively, systemic vessels, cardiac function, and other major organs should be evaluated. Regarding the surgical technique, reinforcement of the anastomosis to the fragile aortic wall is important to prevent pseudoaneurysmal formation and prosthetic valvular detachment. As aortic root replacement, we have been applying the modified Bentall procedure with a "double fixation technique" and obtained desirable outcomes. Although endovascular repair for aneurysmal disease is one of the treatment options, its longterm efficacy remains uncertain. Postoperative control of inflammation with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive agents is also important for long-term management. Pseudoaneurysmal formation and prosthetic valvular detachment may occur progressively over a long period of time. To prevent these complications, strict follow-up with imaging and inflammation control should be performed.

A woman in her thirties was diagnosed as Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) by dilatation, wall thickness of her abdominal aorta in contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Although she didn't have any subjective bowel symptoms, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) also revealed uptake of FDG in descending colon, and colonoscopy revealed aphthous colitis. After the start of steroid therapy, both arteritis and colitis were improved. FDG-PET can detect TAK and inflammatory bowel diseases at an early stage. FDG-PET is a less invasive module with a high sensitivity for detecting colitis, therefore should be considered for TAK even without physical colon symptoms.

Background: We present a clinical case report including in vivo laser confocal microscopic findings of keratitis complicated with Takayasu's arteritis (aortitis syndrome)., Case: A 47-year-old woman was referred to the outpatient clinic of ophthalmology with blurred vision in her both eyes at the onset of Takayasu's arteritis. Since multifocal infiltrates in the stromal corneas with injection were observed with slit-lamp biomicroscope in the both eyes, the diagnosis was keratitis. A large amount of cells infiltrating the stromal cornea and activated keratocytes were also observed with in vivo laser confocal microscope in the both eyes. Systemic and local steroidal agents were initiated, which resolved the keratitis, and the active lesions turned into mild corneal scars. In vivo laser confocal microscopy showed no infiltrating cells in the stromal cornea of both eyes. No recurrence has been observed since., Conclusion: A rare case of keratitis complicated with Takayasu's arteritis is reported. An immune response to the stromal cornea as the etiology of the keratitis may be indicated by in vivo laser confocal microscopy.

A 65-year-old man with Takayasu arteritis in a stable condition was admitted to our hospital because of rapid progressive dementia. Brain FLAIR/T2-weighted magnetic resonance images revealed high signal intensity in the diffuse subcortical white matter. John Cunningham virus (JCV) genome in cerebrospinal fluid was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Finally, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy was diagnosed definitely by brain biopsy. In addition, the patient was found to be complicated by chronic/smoldering adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. The administration of mefloquine with mirtazapine was early started within two months after the onset. However, the combination treatment led to no improvement in symptoms and lesion size. The patient died six months after the onset. Therefore, this case suggested that both of HTLV-I infection and B cell abnormalities due to Takasasu arteritis impaired the therapeutic effect.

A 75-year-old woman presented with a 4-month history of repetitive loss of consciousness, dizziness, and ear fullness. Fluid attenuation inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging showed high-intensity areas in the right occipital lobe, both frontal lobes, and parietal lobes, and the patient was therefore admitted to our department for further examination. Neurologic findings included a positive Barré sign (right upper extremity), impaired tandem gait, and positive left-sided Babinski reflex. The patient was diagnosed with Takayasu's arteritis owing to a difference in blood pressure between the left and right upper extremity, weakened pulse in the left upper extremity, as well as thickened arterial wall, and delayed enhancement on a contrast-enhanced computed tomography image. The head magnetic resonance imaging findings disappeared within 4 months and the patient was diagnosed with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome associated with elderly female Takayasu's arteritis is rare. ; the present case therefore offers valuable information.

A 19-year-old male with diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels was admitted to our hospital. Endoscopic examination and small intestinal contrast radiography revealed multiple longitudinal ulcers in the large intestine and ileum. A specimen biopsied from one of these ulcers revealed non-caseating epithelioid cell granuloma. He also had a draining anal fistula. Plain chest computed tomography (CT) and abdominal contrast-enhanced CT did not reveal any vascular abnormality. A diagnosis of Crohn's disease was made, and infliximab was administered. Following infliximab administration, the diarrhea and abdominal pain disappeared, longitudinal ulcers in the large intestine healed (as evidenced by endoscopic examination), and his anal lesion improved. However, fever and elevated CRP levels persisted. With the concomitant use of prednisolone, the fever and elevation of CRP levels eventually improved, and the patient was discharged. Both, however, recurred as the patient was weaned off prednisolone treatment; consequently, he was re-hospitalized. Contrast-enhanced CT upon re-admission revealed stenoses of the right renal artery, left common carotid artery, and left subclavian artery. In addition to Crohn's disease, the patient was diagnosed with co-existing Takayasu's arteritis.

A 71-year-old woman was referred to our department for evaluation of a right temporal headache. She had been diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis in her twenties but did not receive steroid therapy. A brain MRI scan detected thickened dura mater with abnormal enhancement on the right cerebral hemisphere. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic pachymeningitis, but she refused to be treated with steroids. Three months later, she noticed periorbital pain and blurred vision in her left eye, although the right temporal headache was reduced. A brain MRI scan detected thickened dura mater with abnormal enhancement on the left cerebral hemisphere adjacent to the left orbit and a swelled left superior rectus muscle with abnormal enhancement. However, the MRI results also showed that the thickening of the dura mater on the right cerebral hemisphere had improved. The new symptoms and the abnormalities revealed with imaging were resolved following steroid therapy. Takayasu arteritis mainly affects the large vessels, but can involve small and systemic vessels. This case presents a rare but possible link between hypertrophic pachymeningitis and Takayasu arteritis.

A 63-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital. Aortitis syndrome was diagnosed 12 years ago. She developed intractable hypertension and a computed tomography scan showed coarctation of descending aorta with severe calcificaiton. Her ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) was 0.74 on the right side and was 0.70 on the left side. She underwent a bypass operation with 14 mm-diameter prosthetic graft from ascending aorta to the infrarenal abdominal aorta without using cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperatively, ABI was 1.22 on the right side and was 1.21 on the left side, and hypertension was well controlled.

We report a case of Takayasu's arteritis who underwent emergency surgery. A 39-year-old female presented with severe back pain. Electrocardiogram demonstrated complete atrio-ventricular (AV) block and acute inferior myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed ostial occlusion of the right coronary artery. Aortography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed dilated and bizarre-shaped aortic root. The remainder of the aorta and its branches appeared normal. She underwent emergency aortic root replacement with valved conduit. Coronary artery bypass grafting to right coronary artery( RCA) using saphenous vein graft was performed concomitantly. Histologic findings of the aortic root were compatible with Takayasu's arteritis. Postoperative angiography showed graft patency. Takayasu arteritis should be considered for differential diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in young woman.

A 58-year-old woman was admitted to our institute. Aortitis syndrome was diagnosed when she was 39 years old. She developed intractable hypertension several years prior, and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed severe calcified stenosis of the descending aorta. The ankle brachial pressure index of the right leg was 0.70 and that of the left leg was 0.63. Plasma renin activity was 4.8 ng/ml/h. Ascending aorta-abdominal aorta bypass grafting was scheduled. The operation was successfully performed under partial cardiopulmonary bypass to control arterial blood pressure. An implanted graft was 14 mm in diameter. The postoperative ankle brachial pressure index of the right leg was 1.07 and that of the left leg was 1.03. Postoperative plasma renin activity was 0.2 ng/ml/h, and three-dimensional CT revealed that the implanted graft was patent. Postoperatively, hypertension was well controlled without medication.

The patient was a 53-year-old woman who had bilateral renal arterial constriction due to Takayasu's arteritis, and developed end-stage renal failure. When transient loss of consciousness occurred in 2002, she was diagnosed with subclavian steal syndrome (SSS). The renal failure worsened in June 2004, and there was concern that the left SSS could become aggravated as a consequence of creating an arterio-venous (AV) shunt. Although peritoneal dialysis was strongly recommended, she elected to undergo hemodialysis. We confirmed that there was no reduction of cerebral blood flow using brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Right and left examinations indicated the site at which an AV shunt should be created and subsequently, the AV shunt was created on the left fore-arm. Brain SPECT findings were again confirmed after dialysis, at the time of hemodialysis induction, and again 2 years after hemodialysis induction, showing no reduction in cerebral blood flow. She has no apparent symptoms or signs of left SSS, to date. Although it is known that an SSS could arise after AV shunt creation, there has been no report of the creation of an AV shunt in a case of SSS. The present case suggests that cerebral blood flow measurement using brain SPECT is useful for evaluating cerebral hemodynamics before AV fistula creation among patients with Takayasu's arteritis.

A 14-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with a history of syncope and chest pain on exercise. Multi-slice coronary computed tomography (CT) demonstrated ostial stenosis of the left main trunk as well as wall thickening in the ascending aorta. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) also showed occlusion of the left carotid artery. She was diagnosed as having angina pectoris caused by aortitis syndrome. We performed off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) with the left internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending artery. The postoperative course was uneventful and coronary CT demonstrated good graft patency. We herein report successful OPCAB in a patient with left coronary main trunk ostial stenosis with aortitis syndrome.

Aortic aneurysms and aortic regurgitation (AR) with aortitis syndrome are occasionally reported in young women. We report a case of aortic dissection with severe AR in an 8-year-old girl. The patient underwent aortic root replacement with a composite graft. Pathological report revealed aortitis syndrome and steroid therapy was continued to suppress further inflammatory vascular reaction.

The patient was a 49-year-old female who developed acute myocardial infarction of the right coronary artery in August 2005. In a short period of time, the patient had restenosis repeatedly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Restenosis could not be prevented even with a drug eluting stent (DES), and thus, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) was performed. The diagnosis of aortitis syndrome was made due to protracted postoperative inflammation. Aortitis syndrome was determined to be the main cause of repeated restenosis. This case was a middle-aged female who had restenosis in a short period of time, and aortitis syndrome should have been included in the differential diagnosis. Although some positive results have been reported on DES placement for coronary lesions of aortitis syndrome, DES was completely ineffective in our patient. Further studies with more patients are necessary to examine the effectiveness of DES.

We report a case of 44-year-old male with aortitis syndrome who suffered a prosthetic aortic valve detachment and recurrent aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva 5 years after aortic valve replacement and patch closure of non-coronary sinus of Valsalva. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) and angiography revealed severe aortic regurgitation and complicated aneurysm formation of sinus of Valsalva due to prosthetic valve and prosthetic patch dehiscence. Aortic root replacement was performed successfully after induction of steroid therapy to control inflammation. His postoperative course has been uneventful for 18 months.

A 78-year-old male with aortitis syndrome was referred to our hospital for the treatment of unstable angina pectoris with ischemic mitral regurgitation, which was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography and coronary artery angiography. Computed tomography showed segmental wall thickness of thoracic and abdominal aorta He underwent an emergent coronary artery bypass grafting. The postoperative course was uneventful without any neurological complications. Postoperative echocardiogram and coronary artery angiography showed good mitral valve function and all patent bypass grafts. He was discharged 33 days after surgery. At 26 months after surgery, he is well without limitation of daily activities and any evidence of myocardial ischemia.

A 32-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of fever and back pain. Two months previously, she had been given a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia based on the same symptoms and recovered after antibiotic treatment. Chest CT scans on admission showed a consolidation and thickened pleura in the right lower lobe. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids showed an alveolar hemorrhage. Lung biopsy specimens showed thickened pulmonary arteries and fibrotic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP). Three years later, she was admitted with fever and pain of the left arm and aortitis syndrome was diagnosed. In this case of NSIP pattern associated with aortitis syndrome we speculate that repeated pulmonary infarction and alveolar hemorrhages caused the NSIP pattern.

We report a patient of a 20-year-old woman of Takayasu's arteritis and hypertensive encephalopathy. The symptoms started with headache and vomiting following status epilepticus. On arrival at the emergency room in our hospital, fever was apparent and cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed pleocytosis. After the admission, the patient presented with hypertension, decreased right brachial pulse and the difference between bilateral brachial arterial blood pressures on examination. There had been no history of arterial hypertension. The MR angiography revealed stenoses of the bilateral cervical, especially right cervical, right middle cerebral and left renal arteries. Brain MRI showed transient hyperintense lesions of the left fronto-parieto-occipital cortices and subcortical white matter in FLAIR and diffusion weighted images. These alterations suggested the presence of reversible vasogenic edema induced by hypertensive encephalopathy. We need to be aware of young patients with convulsion, especially young women, who has arterial hypertension as well as the difference with blood pressures between extremities.

A 60-year-old woman with hypertension for 40 years had presented the hypertensive heart failure due to an atypical coarctation of the aorta. The difference of blood pressure between upper and lower limbs reached 110 mmHg with taking 6 kinds of antihypertensive drugs. Her blood pressure declined without antihypertensive medication and heart failure got subsided after the extra-anatomical bypass of axillobilateral external iliac artery bypass. Extra-anatomical bypass for Takayasu's arteritis had enough effects to improve the hypertension and was supposed to have the advantages of decreasing the operative risk, and preventing the aneurysmal formation of anastomotic site rather than the thoracoabdominal aortic bypass.

We describe here successful surgical treatment of a rare case of a rapidly enlarged aneurysm due to Takayasu's arteritis. A 22-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of hoarseness and left neck pain. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography showed an unruptured partially thrombosed aneurysm, and angiography revealed a large aneurysm of the common carotid artery. After hospitalization, the symptoms, interestingly, resolved spontaneously. While angiography at 2 weeks after admission showed the aneurysm to have reduced in size, 2 months later it showed the left common carotid artery aneurysm to be substantially enlarged in size and aneurysmal formation of the right external carotid artery. Surgical intervention was performed for the left common carotid artery aneurysm because rapid enlargement indicated the risk of aneurysmal rupture, and the thrombosis might cause embolic occlusion of the cerebral arteries. The left common carotid artery including enlarged aneurysm was trapped and anastomosed with a Gore-Tex graft (6-mm inner diameter) to left internal carotid artery. Histological examination of the arterial wall showed inflammatory change, destruction of the medial elastic fibers, and granulation with multinucleated giant cells. The postoperative course was uneventful, and no new vascular lesion was observed 3 years after operation. We demonstrated the bilateral extracranial carotid artery aneurysms caused by Takayasu's arteritis, which was the first case to be reported in the literature.

We report a case of systemic sclerosis complicated by Takayasu's arteritis. A 68-year-old woman had been treated for hypertension since 1984. She also had Raynaud's phenomenon and noticed vertigo and dizziness. In January 1992, she was diagnosed with back bruit. In April 1994, she was complicated by vertigo and diagnosed with asymmetrical blood pressure. In October 1998, she consulted our hospital because of neck bruit, abdominal bruit, back bruit and stenosis of descending aorta bifurcation on chest computed tomography. Her blood pressure was asymmetrical, being recorded as 190/101 on the right and 140/90 on the left. Scleroderma was observed from the finger to forehand, precordia, and face. Telangiectasia was observed on the precordia. Laboratory studies revealed the presence of anti-nuclear antibody (x 1280, discrete speckled.), anti-centromere antibody but anti-topoisomerasel antibody was negative. Skin biopsy from the left forehand detected proliferation of collgen fibers and perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration. A diagnosis of systemic sclerosis was made according to the American Rheumatism Association criteria. We suspected complication by Takayasu's arteritis because of asymmetrical blood pressure and bruit. Chest-abdominal angiography detected stenosis of the right brachiocephalic trunk, celiac artery, and left renal artery. We diagnosed Takayasu's arteritis. This is the second case report of a patient with systemic sclerosis complicated by Takayasu's arteritis.

The authors report the initial results of stenting in four patients of Takayasu arteritis for 11 occlusive carotid and subclavian arteries between January 1999 and December 2000. The lesions included stenoses of two right subclavian, three right common carotid, two left common carotid, and two left subclavian arteries, and total occlusion of two subclavian arteries. A total of 14 stents were implanted in 10 arterial lesions, resulting in a 91% procedural success rate. One failure was due to inability to cross the total occlusion of the subclavian artery. Procedural complications and problems were pain during balloon angioplasty in three patients, vaso-vagal reflex in two, carotid artery perforation associated with transient horseness in one, and stent migration in one. There was no permanent morbidity. Follow-up over a mean duration of 12 months revealed one symptomatic recurrence of left subclavian stenosis, followed by a successful re-dilatation. The results of the current study indicated that primary stenting is an excellent therapeutic option for the occlusive carotid and subclavian arteries in Takayasu arteritis. A long-term follow-up is required to determine the response or behavior of stented segments of the affected arteries.

We experienced a case of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) with ulceritive colitis (UC) having the onset of carotodynia, not accompanied by ischemic symptoms. MRI findings of the neck demonstrated a thickening of the bilateral carotid artery walls. The patient was treated by prednisolone with a marked improvement in both clinical symptoms and MRI findings. The patient had a unique HLA haplotype reported to correlate with both TA and UC. Carotodynia is an early but pathognomonic symptom of TA and MRI is helpful for the early diagnosis of TA.

A 37-year-old non-smoking woman was admitted to our hospital because of nocturnal coughing and exertional dyspnea after using an ultrasonic humidifier. Chest roentgenograms and computed tomography showed many ground-glass opacities in the right upper lobe and left upper lung field. Her symptoms were alleviated and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels returned to normal following the administration of prednisolone (40 mg/day). The same symptoms subsequently recurred, and ESR and CRP levels increased proportionately to a decreased dosage of prednisolone. In addition, chest computed tomography showed new opacities in the left lower lobe. Transbronchial lung biopsy specimens revealed multiple stenotic or obstructive changes in the small pulmonary arteries by organizing thromboemboli, with no vasculitis. The diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension was made on the basis of multiple defects from lung perfusion scintigraphy, irregular or tapering of the pulmonary arteries detected by pulmonary arteriograms, and increased pulmonary pressure measured by echocardiography. We propose that the pulmonary thromboembolism observed in this case was related to the initial pulmonary involvement of Takayasu arteritis, since the patient's symptoms, ESR and CRP levels all improved markedly following the administration of prednisolone.

A 47-year-old man presented with hemoptysis. From around June 20, 1995, he had symptoms of a common cold, but hemoptysis suddenly occurred on July 1 and he was brought to hospital. The chest X-ray film showed pleural effusion and enlargement of the mediastinum. CT scans showed calcification of the aorta, with a pseudoaneurysm 8 cm in diameter anterior to the descending aorta. When thoracotomy was performed under partial extracorporeal circulation, the thoracic cavity was found to be filled with bloody hydrothorax and hematoma, and the lower lobe of the left lung was adherent to the descending aorta. After a longitudinal incision was made in the aorta, a perforation 7 mm in diameter was identified in the posterior wall, and this was assumed to be the cause of the pseudoaneurysm. This part of the aorta was replaced with a Woven Dacron graft. Takayasu's arteritis was diagnosed by histological examination of the resected specimen, and the changes in the aortic wall at the site of perforation were considered to be chronic. About 30% of patients with this disease have aortic ectasia, but only a few pseudoaneurysms have been reported. Since the pseudoaneurysm occurred in our patient after reduction in the dose of medication, the development of perforation was suggested to be related to this change. In the future, this patient will require careful follow up for anastomotic aneurysm.

The clinical courses of patients with Takayasu arteritis vary especially when aortic regurgitation is involved. The clinical features and outcomes of Takayasu arteritis were studied in 78 patients to clarify the influence of aortic regurgitation on the natural history, especially the earlier stages of aortic regurgitation after onset of Takayasu arteritis. During the average 12.7-year follow-up period, 7% (3/43) of patients without aortic regurgitation died, but 17% (6/35) of patients with aortic regurgitation died. Mortality was low (6%; 1/16) in patients with mild (grade II or less) regurgitation, but high (26%; 5/19) in patients with severe (greater than grade III) regurgitation. Predictors indicating patients likely to die of severe aortic regurgitation were age at onset (mean age of 30.0 years), C reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and presence or absence of involvement of major branches of the aortic arch. Mortality was 33% (2/6) in patients without involvement of the major branches, which was significantly higher than that of patients with such involvement (17%; 2/12). From the initial consultation, most patients with mild regurgitation remained stable, but younger patients with severe regurgitation due to acute pathological processes of the ascending aorta from the early stage and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed deterioration in their clinical courses. Younger patients with elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, intact major branches of the aortic arch, no signs of classical pulseless disease, and severe aortic regurgitation due to Takayasu arteritis have a poor prognosis.

From March 1973 to December 1994, 8 patients (2 males and 6 females) aged 34.4 +/- 7.8 years, underwent composite graft replacement (CGR) for aortitis syndrome combined with annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) in our institute. Five patients showed active aortitis syndrome and steroid therapy was administrated to 2 of them. The mean value of the C-reactive protein (CRP) was 1.6 +/- 1.8 before the operation. The maximum diameter of the ascending aorta was 67.1 +/- 10.3 mm (range 53 to 85 mm). Stenosis and/or ectasia of the neck vessels were recognized in 5 cases, as well as the coronary artery in 2 cases. Isolated CGR was performed in 6 cases, and combined with single CABG to LAD in 1 case and with total arch replacement in 1 case. The enlarged ascending aorta was replaced with main graft using the exclusion method and interposed grafts for coronary arteries were sutured with pledgetted mattress sutures all around the coronary ostia. In patients with stenosis of neck vessels, oxygen saturation of the jugular vein was monitored during extracorporeal circulation for surveillance of cerebral ischemia. There was 1 early death due to pulmonary failure. Seven cases survived without any complications during 4-132 months (mean 83.4 months) of the follow-up period. After the operation, 3 cases required steroid therapy during 4-50 months. We concluded that preoperative control of active inflammation, selection of operative procedures, timing for the operation, and the long-term precise management of the intractable disease were essential for successful treatment of aortitis syndrome with AAE.

A 61-year-old female admitted with the diagnosis of both coronary ostial stenosis & the severe calcified aorta due to Takayasu's arteritis. She underwent coronary artery bypass grafting successfully, using the right internal thoracic artery to RCA & the left internal thoracic artery to LAD, without cardiopulmonary bypass. Coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass is one of the useful surgical technique for the patient with the severe calcified aorta due to Takayasu's arteritis.

We experienced a case of thoracic aortic aneurysm due to Takayasu's aortitis associated with ulcerative colitis. Steroid was medicated to control inflammation and operation was performed. The ascending aorta, aortic arch, brachiocephalic artery, and left carotid artery were replaced by artificial graft. We made elephant trunk type anastomosis at the distal side of the graft to provide for growth of the aneurysm after operation. This was a rare case considered autoimmune overlapping syndrome, and its background was complicated by HLA-Bw52 and parasitic Metagonimus Yokogawai. Relationship between steroid medication and progression of the disease is not certain yet. Postoperative course is uneventful, no recurrence of inflammation is seen and the aneurysm is not enlarged until now.

A 37-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for post operative coronary angiography. At the age of 17, she was diagnosed as having Takayasu's disease and at that time prednisolone was administered. At the age of 22, she was operated on to receive a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) because of a 95% isolated stenosis in the left coronary ostium. Pathological specimen obtained from the ascending aorta demonstrated a proliferative stage of Takayasu's aortitis. After the CABG, she married and delivered two children, with the inflammation being kept under control by prednisolone. Coronary angiography performed 13 years after the operation proved the saphenous vein graft to the left anterior descending artery to be still patent. To our knowledge, this case has the longest history of a patent CABG used in an operation to correct the ostial stenosis secondary to Takayasu's disease. According to the previous reports we collected, the long-term patency rate of CABG is 78%, whereas that of ostial endarterectomy is unknown. Whether CABG or endarterectomy is better as an operating method for ostial stenosis due to aortitis is still a controversial point. We hope that reports of further examples will be available in order to help make the final decision.

A 59 year old woman presenting with headache subsequently diagnosed as having Takayasu's disease associated with marked systemic hypertension of 290/120 was operated on. She had a 90% constriction of the right renal artery, 70 mmHg pressure gradient across coarctation of abdominal aorta and severe calcification of thoracic and abdominal aorta. In order to correct the hypertension and the coarctation, right axilla-femoral artery and renal artery revascularization were performed. Study carried out one year later showed blood pressure 160/80 and no pressure gradient between upper and lower extremities.