An unusual clinical manifestation of Takayasu's arteritis: spinal cord compression

Abstract

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis, involving mainly the aorta and its main branches and the pulmonary arteries, with characteristic of stenotic and occasionally dilated lesions. Neurologic manifestations of Takayasu's arteritis range from simple headache to catastrophic neurologic impairments, including visual loss, stroke and transient ischemic attack. However, spinal cord compression has never been described as a complication of Takayasu's arteritis. We describe a case of Takayasu's arteritis complicated by spinal cord compression due to thoracolumbar inflammatory epiduritis.