Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Takayasu Arteritis Undergoing Open or Endovascular Operations in China

Background: The operation rate for different involved arteries and the manifestation of vessel involvement of patients with Takayasu arteritis undergoing open or endovascular operations remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, vessel involvement, angiographic classification and operations information in a large cohort of patients with Takayasu arteritis undergoing open or endovascular operations at a single centre in China.

Methods: From January 2017 to October 2022, a total of 153 consecutive patients undergoing open or endovascular operations were recruited from the Department of Vascular Surgery of Beijing Hospital. The demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, pattern of vascular involvement and operation information were collected and analysed.

Results: The majority of patients were female (128/153, 83.7%). The most common vascular finding was hypertension (66.7%). The subclavian (74.2%), carotid (70.1%) and renal (68.9%) arteries were the most commonly involved arteries. Type V (40.5%) was the most common angiographic classification pattern. A total of 296 open or endovascular operations were performed, including 73 percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTAs), 50 stent placements and 173 bypass graft operations. Patients with renal (83.3%) or carotid (65.2%) artery involvement had markedly higher rates of undergoing operations.

Conclusions: The subclavian and carotid arteries, as well as the type V (40.5%) pattern, exhibited the highest frequency of involvement among patients with Takayasu arteritis who underwent open or endovascular operations. Variations in angiographic features can result in differences in clinical manifestations and significantly impact the possibility and modality of operations.