Left coronary artery ostial stenosis from Takayasu's arteritis diagnosed using transthoracic color flow and pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Coronary artery stenosis is seen in 10-45% of patients with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and coronary ostia are most frequently involved. It may cause angina pectoris and sudden death during the early course of the disease. We describe a 14-year-old girl who first presented with exertional angina and syncope and was diagnosed as having left coronary artery ostial stenosis from TA by using transthoracic echocardiography. This is the first report showing the important role of color flow and pulsed Doppler echocardiography to detect coronary artery stenosis caused by TA.