Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for evaluating arteritis activity in Takayasu arteritis patients

Introduction Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was recently used to evaluate vascularization within the carotid artery wall, and this process of vascularization was correlated with arteritis activity. We aimed to use CEUS to evaluate disease activity in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) patients. Method We used CEUS to analyze 28 consecutive TAK patients. Disease activity was assessed according to the NIH criteria. We measured CEUS grades and assessed the correlation between contrast features and disease activity. Results Higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESRs) were found (35 ± 28.7 vs. 13 ± 7.4 mm/h, p