Takayasu's arteritis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that causes stenosis, occlusion, or dilatation of the aorta and its major branches, the pulmonary arteries, and the coronary arteries. The incidence of extracranial carotid artery aneurysm in patients with Takayasu's arteritis is reportedly 1.8-3.9%. We herein report a patient with Takayasu's arteritis who presented with transient left hemiplegia immediately after neck massage. Carotid ultrasonography revealed a thrombus within the fusiform aneurysm on the right common carotid artery. We speculated that fragmentation from the intra-aneurysmal thrombus was caused by neck massage.
Keywords: Takayasu's arteritis; extracranial carotid artery aneurysm; stroke.