Severe pulmonary hypertension associated with Takayasu arteritis

Abstract

We describe the case of a 57 year-old woman with chronic hypertension, dyspnea, general symptoms, malaise, fatigability and exercise intolerance, impaired functional capacity and occasional episodes of pre-syncope. Physical examination disclosed arterial hypertension, with a difference of more than 10 mm Hg between the pressures of the right and the left upper limbs, holosystolic murmur grade III/VI in the aortic valve area, left subclavian murmur, and decreased intensity in the peripheral pulses of the left arm. Noninvasive studies showed severe pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular dysfunction, also confirmed by cardiac catheterization. Chest tomography and pulmonary arterial angiography showed bilateral pulmonary artery stenosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance revealed concentric stenosis (6 mm), affecting the origin of the upper lobe branch and circumferential involvement of the left branch (8 mm) and the branch to the lower lobe. Endoluminal irregularities were observed in the aorta and the neck vessels, both in the resonance and the angiography. With these findings diagnoses of Takayasu arteritis and associated severe pulmonary hypertension were established. Treatment was started with prednisolone and methotrexate.