Idiopathic regressing arteriopathy.

Three patients had nonatheromatous occlusive cervicocephalic arterial disease which on follow-up showed resolution of the occlusive or stenosing abnormalities. The patients' relatively young age (middle thirties to middle forties) and severe unilateral headache or focal head, neck, or mastoid pain were prominent common clinical features. The dominant arteriographic features were intimal irregularities, multiple vessel involvement, tendency to arterial dissection and aneurysm formation, sparing of intracranial arteries, and tendency to partial or complete resolution of the abnormalities and regression toward normal. We have called this presumed entity "idiopathic regressing arteriopathy" pending appropriate histopathological studies.