Takayasu’s arteritis in pregnancy complicated by peripartum aortic dissection

Abstract

We describe a patient with a known diagnosis of Takayasu's arteritis who presented late in the third trimester. She was delivered by caesarean section and her postpartum course was complicated by aortic dissection. This report is the first to describe peripartum aortic dissection in a patient with known Takayasu's arteritis. Takayasu's arteritis should be regarded as a risk factor for aortic dissection. It is important to treat systemic hypertension in Takayasu's arteritis patients and suspect the diagnosis of aortic dissection in any pregnant patient complaining of chest pain as dissection is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the developed world.