Surgical reconstruction of an ascending aortic dissection in Takayasu's arteritis

Abstract

A 45-year-old Japanese woman with Stanford type A dissecting aortic aneurysm underwent a reconstructive operation on the ascending aorta. Histopathological diagnosis was Takayasu's arteritis in the chronic and inactive phase. It is very rare that a dissecting aortic aneurysm results from Takayasu's arteritis. Long-standing hypertension and fragility of the aortic media due to disruption of elastic fibers were suspected to cause dissection in the entire aorta in this case.