Takayasu's arteritis and the aortic arch syndrome

From the many confusing terms currently employed to describe occlusive aortic arch disease, two are selected: aortic arch syndrome to describe the general clinical entity regardless of etiology; and Takayasu's arteritis to describe the idiopathic aortitis usually affecting young women. All others would best be discarded, particularly that of pulseless disease. It is suggested that Takayasu's arteritis is a connective tissue disease which like lupus erythematosus is sex limited; that two factors may be important in its localization: an autoimmunopathy affecting vascular elastin, and hemodynamic stress. The clinical diagnosis of Takayasu's arteritis can be made with certainty only by exclusion or pathologic study. Factors of helpful diagnostic value include: abnormal serum electrophoretic pattern, persistent elevation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and angiocardiographic changes.