Recurrent non-aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage in Takayasu arteritis: is the cause immunological or mechanical?

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is rarely associated with Takayasu's arteritis (TA). The present report describes a 21-year-old woman with recurrent SAH and TA. In addition, she also had recurrent spells of postural weakness in the bilateral lower limb occurring at the same time. Sequential CT of the head and MRI showed bilateral cortical SAH. Vascular imaging with MR angiogram and CT angiogram showed bilateral subclavian arteries and left common carotid artery occlusion with multiple hypertrophied collaterals vessels in the neck. There was no evidence of aneurysms in the intracranial vasculature in the conventional angiogram. The CT angiogram of the aorta showed severe stenosis of the abdominal aorta above the renal arteries. The patient was treated with immunomodulatory therapy and had a favourable outcome without further recurrence at end of 1 year of follow-up. A review of the literature showed 21cases with aneurysmal SAH and three cases non-aneurysmal SAH in patients with TA have been reported. Various factors are responsible for the reorganisation of the intracranial of the arteries in patients with chronic vasculitis in the presence of extracranial stenosis and occlusion, which could possibly explain the SAH in absence of aneurysm in patients with TA.