[Cardiac manifestations of Takayasu's disease (excluding hypertensive heart disease) (author's transl)].

The literature is reviewed in the light of 6 cases of Takayasu's disease with cardiac manifestations. Whilst the cardiac manifestations of Takayasu's disease are most often due to the effects of hypertension, there nevertheless exist specifically cardiac lesions: coronary, valvular and myocardial. Coronary lesions, typically ostial, a veritable extension of aortic disease, may also effect the vessels themselves. The course is generally grave but surgery has been performed in a number of cases. Aortic insufficiency is usually moderate and without haemodynamic consequences and is the most frequent valve lesion, others being rare. Direct myocardial involvement with the possibility of arrhythmias or conduction disturbances is also rare, as are pericardial and endocardial lesions.