Echocardiographic characteristics of pulmonary artery involvement in Takayasu arteritis

BACKGROUND Up to 50% patients with Takayasu arteritis have pulmonary artery involvement. Hence, the early identification of pulmonary artery involvement to facilitate prompt treatment is required. METHODS This retrospective study was performed in patients diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis between January 2009 and January 2016. Pulmonary artery involvement was confirmed with computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. Images from transthoracic echocardiography in three windows (suprasternal right pulmonary artery long-axis view, parasternal aortic short-axis view, and subxiphoid view) were documented and analyzed. RESULTS A total of 27 patients had Takayasu arteritis and pulmonary artery involvement. Characteristic changes identified by echocardiography included luminal medium-to-high echogenic signals, stenosis, and occlusion, as well as intimal thickening. Left pulmonary artery involvement was revealed in the parasternal aortic short-axis view. Right pulmonary artery involvement was best observed in the suprasternal right pulmonary artery long-axis view, with complementary views from the parasternal aortic short-axis and subxiphoid angles. Pulmonary trunk involvement was not observed in all three windows. CONCLUSIONS Transthoracic echocardiography could be a useful noninvasive test to detect pulmonary artery involvement in patients with Takayasu arteritis.