Takayasu's arteritis: Is it a reversible disease? Case Report and Literature Review

BACKGROUND Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a rare and potentially devastating condition leading to prolonged morbidity and even death. CASE DESCRIPTION We report an 18-year-old female presenting with an acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis and subsequent endovascular therapy (ET) with excellent results followed by chronic treatment with immunosuppressants after a formal diagnosis of TA. Following immunosupression, improvement was noted in critical stenoses of the extracranial large vessels. CONCLUSION These observations underscore the importance of early initiation of therapy to halt or even reverse vascular pathology, though frequent follow up is mandatory as relapse is common. In this article we provide brief review of the current literature on TA related to pathophysiology, criterion for diagnosis, therapy, and follow up.