A Rare Case of Takayasu's Arteritis with Aortic Arch Branching Pattern Variation in a Young Female

Takayasu's arteritis, formerly known as "pulseless disease", is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects the aorta and its main branches. The prevalence of this disease is higher in Asian countries and among young women. Depending on the progress of the disease, the symptoms and prognosis of the disease is different. Herein, we report the case of a 31-year-old woman with Takayasu's arteritis in the Iranian population. In this case, the size of the aorta and the main branches increased and the large artery walls were thickened. Narrowing of the right and left subclavian artery, carotid artery and left vertebral artery were obvious in these patients. In addition, an anatomic variation was observed in the aortic arch branches. In this patient, the left vertebral artery was branched directly from the aortic arch instead of the left subclavian artery. Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, indicating a chronic inflammatory disease, were also observed in this case.