Takayasu arteritis--a case report of aortic aneurysm.

Aortic pseudo-aneurysm is a rare manifestation of Takayasu arteritis. We present a 16-year-old girl who first complained of multiple arthritis, recurrent abdominal pain and malaise at the age of 15 years. The initial working diagnosis was juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Follow-up abdominal ultrasonography for her hepatomegaly incidentally revealed an aortic aneurysm. Total aortography showed diffuse aortic narrowing and an infra-renal aortic pseudo-aneurysm. Vascular reconstruction with an interposition Dacron graft was performed with uneventful recovery. Early non-specific presentation of Takayasu arteritis often results in delay of diagnosis. The presence of a vascular bruit in a young female with non-specific symptoms should point to a differential diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis. We review the role of surgery in the management of this condition.