Is Regular Vascular Imaging Scheduled Essential in the Follow-Up of Takayasu Arteritis? A Large-Scale Multicenter Cohort Study.

Poster presenter: Haner Direskeneli, MD, Chief, Vasculitis Clinic, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Marmara University, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. First author: Fatih Yıldırım, MD, University of Health Sciences, Başakşehir Çam and Sakura State Hospital, Istanbul. Senior/last author: Nilüfer Alpay-Kanıtez, MD, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Koç University, School of Medicine.

Poster title: Is Regular Vascular Imaging Scheduled Essential in the Follow-Up of Takayasu Arteritis? A Large-Scale Multicenter Cohort Study.

Poster session B: Sunday, Nov. 17

What is your poster about?
“Our poster is about the follow-up with imaging in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK).”

Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
“Detecting silent disease activity and progression in TAK is difficult due to the nature of the disease. In the absence of clinical findings or acute-phase response, activity or progression can only be detected by imaging methods. However, it is not clear how often imaging should be performed during routine follow-up of TAK patients. Similarly, the impact of follow-up imaging findings on treatment decisions and the impact of regular imaging follow-up on long-term disease outcomes are also unclear. All these uncertainties led us to conduct this study.”

What excites you most about your work?
“We are excited to work on scientific evidence that may facilitate better management of TAK patients by clinicians.”

What are you most looking forward to at ACR Convergence 2024 in Washington, D.C.?
“We hope to have access to the newest information that will contribute to our clinical practice of complex systemic rheumatological diseases, such as vasculitis, at ACR Convergence 2024.”