Transient emboligenic aortoarteritis. Noteworthy new entity in young stroke patients.

The clinical and postmorten anatomical data in a group of ten patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease in the 15- to 40-year group were studied. The occlusion of the peripheral supply artery in the brain in all cases was found to be due to thromboemboli generated from focal thrombotic lesions situated proximally in the aorta and elastic arterial trunks arising from it. These central thrombotic lesions were caused by a transient form of focal aortoarteritis that primarily affects medial elastic tissue underlying the thrombi. This is a new disease entity, distinct from Takayasu's and other forms of segmental aortitis. The pathogenesis of occlusive cerebrovascular disease in the young remains obscure in a majority of cases. In this context, the definition of this new entity is an important contribution to the understanding of nonatherogenic occlusive cerebrovascular disease.