Femoro-internal carotid artery bypass for cerebral ischemia in takayasu's arteritis
S. Yamamoto, T. Nozawa, H. Aoki and Y. Isobe
In two patients with Takayasu's arteritis, severe cerebral ischemia was
successfully treated by femoral to internal carotid artery bypass using a
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft through a subcutaneous tunnel. All of
the arch branches were critically stenotic or occluded in both patients.
The entire thoracic aorta was affected by the active inflammation process
in one patient and there was marked calcification in the other patient. In
these situations we hesitate to use the thoracic aorta as the donor site of
bypass. Considering that Takayasu's arteritis affects the thoracic aorta
and the proximal portions of its branches, the femoro-internal carotid
artery bypass can be constructed without involving severely diseased
vessels and can be expected to result in good cerebral revascularization.
