Isolated left coronary ostial stenosis as the sole arterial involvement in Takayasu's disease

Isolated Coronary Arteritis in Adults: a Single-Center Experience from China

Isolated coronary arteritis (ICA) is an extremely rare and life-threatening vasculitis with only a limited number of reports in the literature. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 10 ICA patients in our center from 2012 to 2022 and compared them with patients with Takayasu arteritis who presented with coronary arteritis initially (TAK-CA patients). We found that ICA predominantly affected women and most commonly involved the ostium and the proximal segment of the coronary arteries, causing mainly stenotic lesions. The C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were grossly normal and significantly lower than those of TAK-CA patients (p = 0.027, p = 0.009, respectively). Intravascular ultrasound imaging showed superiority in differentiating coronary vasculitis from atherosclerosis. Restenosis of the coronary arteries occurred rapidly if not treated promptly and appropriately. Systemic glucocorticoid combined with immunosuppressive agents, especially cyclophosphamide, was a promising strategy for treating ICA.

Coronary arteritis: a case series

Background

The present article describes two cases of patients with coronary arteritis (CA) whose identification of CA diagnosis (late vs. early) resulted in different clinical courses and outcomes.

Case summary

Case 1 is a 53-year-old woman with multiple coronary risk factors who was admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and significant stenosis in the left main trunk (LMT). Although clues suggested arteritis (LMT lesion without any other stenosis, occlusion of left internal thoracic artery, etc.), the diagnosis of CA (coronary involvement of unclassified arteritis) was delayed and revascularization, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), was performed under uncontrolled inflammatory status. As a result, Case 1 experienced repeated ACS episodes due to graft failure and in-stent restenosis, and repeatedly underwent PCI. Case 2 is a 76-year-old woman with no significant coronary risk factors who was admitted with ACS. This patient was successfully diagnosed with coronary involvement of Takayasu arteritis before revascularization. Coronary artery bypass grafting was performed after stabilizing inflammation with prednisolone, and the patient remains angina-free beyond 1-year post-CABG. In both cases, intravascular imaging clearly identified the localization and degree of inflammation related to CA by demonstrating specific findings (ambiguous typical three-layer structure of arterial wall and extended low-echoic areas within adventitia).

Discussion

Accurate and early diagnosis with meticulous diagnostic and therapeutic strategies appear to be important for favourable clinical outcomes in the medical treatment of patients with coronary involvement of arteritis. Intravascular imaging has the potential to contribute to optimizing clinical management of CA.

Outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with Takayasu arteritis

BACKGROUND

Coronary artery involvement is not a rare presentation of Takayasu arteritis (TA) and the treatment is challenging. The optimal methods of revascularization, and prognosis of treatment have not been established.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in TA patients.

METHODS

Patients with coronary artery involved in TA who underwent either PCI or CABG were identified between February 2003 and December 2015. The primary outcome was long-term all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and repeat revascularization.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients were enrolled (PCI=19 vs. CABG=12). Most of them were female (25, 80.6%) and the mean age was 42.6±13.8years (16-64years). Angina pectoris was the most common initial symptom (26 cases, 83.9%) and concomitant aortic regurgitation was present in 8 (25.8%) patients. Both groups had a low rate of corticosteroids use [4/19 (21.1%) vs. 2/12 (16.7%)]. During the median follow-up of 101months (10-384months), PCI group had a significantly higher incidence of restenosis [12/19(63.2%) vs. 3/12(25%)]. Two patients with severe aortic regurgitation in PCI group suffered from cardiac death during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Coronary artery involvement should be suspected in TA patients with angina pectoris, especially young women. PCI had a very high rate of in-stent restenosis in patients without corticosteroids and CABG may be a preferred treatment option.

Coronary Artery Involvement in Takayasu Arteritis in 45 Chinese Patients

Objective.

We investigated the clinical characteristics, potential difficulties in diagnosis, and therapy for coronary artery involvement in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA).

Methods.

Of 587 consecutive patients hospitalized with TA from 1998 to 2011, those found to have > 50% reduction of diameter of coronary artery by angiography were recruited. We defined the first finding of coronary involvement as baseline. The clinical features, laboratory data, coronary angiographic findings, treatment, and followup outcomes were summarized retrospectively.

Results.

A total of 45 (7.7%, 45/587) patients with coronary involvement were identified, including 40 with typical angina, and 15 with myocardial infarction. Some had complications such as peripheral vascular murmur, pulseless disease, and hypertension. The average age at onset of cardiac symptoms was 40.3 ± 12.8 years (range 15–64) and 36 were female. At admission, erythrocyte sedimentation rates were elevated in 27 patients (60%) and C-reactive protein levels in 23 (51.1%). The ostia (37.4%) and proximal segments (33.3%) of coronary artery were most frequently involved. The treatment was stent implantation in 10 patients and coronary artery bypass grafting in 13. One female patient suffered sudden death during the angiography. During a mean followup of 5.8 ± 4.5 years, 8 patients died.

Conclusion.

Coronary artery involvement in TA that leads to cardiovascular events, especially to cardiovascular death, is not rare. Early diagnosis and therapy should be emphasized.

Successful treatment in a patient with Takayasu's arteritis and Marfan syndrome

We report an unusual case of concomitant Takayasu's arteritis and Marfan syndrome manifesting left main coronary ostial obstruction and annuloaortic ectasia. Simultaneous surgical treatment consisting of left coronary ostium endarterectomy, coronary artery bypass grafting, and Bentall operation was performed. This case is unique in that the cardiovascular manifestations of Takayasu's arteritis and Marfan syndrome were both simultaneously presented and surgically treated.

Angina and coronary ostial lesions in a young woman as a presentation of Takayasu's arteritis

Diagnostic considerations in young patients presenting with coronary artery disease have conventionally included familial dyslipidemias, lipoprotein(a) elevation, hyperhomocysteinemia, cocaine toxicity, hypercoagulable states, connective tissue disorders, vasculitis and the presence of other established risk factors for coronary artery disease. The case of a young woman with unstable angina and a left main coronary artery ostial lesion on cardiac catheterization is discussed. She was subsequently diagnosed with Takayasu's arteritis 4 years later.

Pathology of isolated nonclassical and catastrophic manifestations of Takayasu arteritis

Takayasu arteritis is usually defined as a chronic, progressive, inflammatory, occlusive disease of the aorta and its branches. However, we should remind Takayasu arteritis as a systemic disease. Here I describe nonclassical and catastrophic manifestations of the Takayasu arteritis, which often go unrecognized until after the event. Especially I stress that we should focus on cardiopulmonary complications in Takayasu arteritis.

Polyarteritis nodosa presenting as acute myocardial infarction with coronary dissection

Coronary manifestations of polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) are rarely identified pre-mortem. We report a 51-year-old female with PAN causing a coronary dissection and new lesions developing over the next 5 days. PAN should be added to the list of differential diagnoses for spontaneous coronary dissections.

Unusual presentation of Takayasu arteritis with cardiac involvement and imitation of juvenile arteriosclerosis. A case report

A twenty-five-year-old Caucasian man with Takayasu arteritis, who was formerly diagnosed as suffering from premature arteriosclerosis, is described. Necropsy disclosed involvement of the entire aorta and its major branches, the pulmonary arteries, the coronary arteries, the intramyocardial arteries, and the heart valves, a combination hitherto not described. Literature concerning heart involvement in Takayasu arteritis is reviewed, and the differential diagnosis is discussed.