OBJECTIVE: We report a case of large vessel vasculitis, compare imaging techniques, and briefly review the literature. METHODS: Anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute-phase response, and ischemic symptoms in a 50-year-old man admitted for treatment of vasculitis-related ischemia of the fingers were monitored over a 14-month period. Images from serial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were compared with images from conventional arteriography in the evaluation of peripheral arterial circulation. RESULTS: The acute-phase response and anticardiolipin antibody levels were found to vary in parallel with slow resolution of ischemic symptoms following monthly treatment with pulse methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide. CONCLUSION: Attribution of ischemic symptoms to anticardiolipin antibody is supported by the correlation of anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute-phase response parameters, and ischemic symptoms. The serial images from MRA demonstrate its usefulness as a noninvasive tool for followup studies of both large and medium-sized vessels affected by vasculitis.
OBJECTIVE: We report a case of large vessel vasculitis, compare imaging techniques, and briefly review the literature. METHODS: Anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute-phase response, and ischemic symptoms in a 50-year-old man admitted for treatment of vasculitis-related ischemia of the fingers were monitored over a 14-month period. Images from serial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were compared with images from conventional arteriography in the evaluation of peripheral arterial circulation. RESULTS: The acute-phase response and anticardiolipin antibody levels were found to vary in parallel with slow resolution of ischemic symptoms following monthly treatment with pulse methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide. CONCLUSION: Attribution of ischemic symptoms to anticardiolipin antibody is supported by the correlation of anticardiolipin antibody titers, acute-phase response parameters, and ischemic symptoms. The serial images from MRA demonstrate its usefulness as a noninvasive tool for followup studies of both large and medium-sized vessels affected by vasculitis.