Stenting for the occlusive carotid and subclavian arteries in Takayasu arteritis

: The authors report the initial results of stenting in four patients of Takayasu arteritis for 11 occlusive carotid and subclavian arteries between January 1999 and December 2000. The lesions included stenoses of two right subclavian, three right common carotid, two left common carotid, and two left subclavian arteries, and total occlusion of two subclavian arteries. A total of 14 stents were implanted in 10 arterial lesions, resulting in a 91% procedural success rate. One failure was due to inability to cross the total occlusion of the subclavian artery. Procedural complications and problems were pain during balloon angioplasty in three patients, vaso-vagal reflex in two, carotid artery perforation associated with transient horseness in one, and stent migration in one. There was no permanent morbidity. Follow-up over a mean duration of 12 months revealed one symptomatic recurrence of left subclavian stenosis, followed by a successful re-dilatation. The results of the current study indicated that primary stenting is an excellent therapeutic option for the occlusive carotid and subclavian arteries in Takayasu arteritis. A long-term follow-up is required to determine the response or behavior of stented segments of the affected arteries.