Takayasu arteritis: Role of cardiovascular magnetic imaging

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a primary arteritis of unknown cause that commonly affects the aorta and its main branches. Traditionally, X-ray contrast angiography has been the gold standard for diagnosis and review of this chronic disease but recent developments suggest that non-invasive imaging with multiplanar cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) have a number of advantages for use in routine care. This review utilises a series of cases referred for imaging at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London to illustrate these points of development.