TY - JOUR T1 - Follow-up contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the carotidartery in patients with Takayasu arteritis: A retrospective study JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol DO - 10.3899/jrheum.220114 SP - jrheum.220114 AU - Jin Ding AU - Dangjie Wu AU - Qing Han AU - Kui Zhang AU - Zhaohui Zheng AU - Ping Zhu Y1 - 2022/06/15 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2022/06/09/jrheum.220114.abstract N2 - Objective The literature describing follow-up carotid contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is limited. We report our experience with monitoring CEUS performed in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK). Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients with TAK who had undergone carotid CEUS ≥2 times with a follow-up duration ≥12 months at Xijing Hospital between 2017 and 2020. We described how CEUS interpretation changed and recorded the state of imaging remission (CEUS visual grades of both sides ≤1) or relapse. Results In total, 106 patients with TAK and 425 CEUS visits were included (median followup: 25 months, interquartile range [IQR]: 18–30). The CEUS vascularization grade was significantly associated with the Kerr criteria (r=0.532, p<0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p<0.001), and C-reactive protein (p<0.001). At baseline, 76 patients (71.7%) had a CEUS active disease, and 30 had an inactive disease. The mid-term assessment (13 months, IQR: 10–16) showed that 29 CEUS-active patients (38.2%) achieved complete response, 34 (44.7%) achieved partial response, and 13 (17.1%) did not respond. At the last visit, the total number of responders was 78 (83.0%). CEUS relapse was observed in 28 (49.1%) patients, with a median of 16 (IQR: 10–21) months. The Kaplan–Meier curve demonstrated that the remission rate evaluated by the CEUS-combined method (median 22 months) was lower than that of the clinical-only evaluation (median, 11 months; p<0.001). Conclusion Response or relapse on CEUS was detected in most patients during followup. CEUS is an effective technique for detecting carotid artery inflammation in patients with TAK. ER -