Peripheral arterial involvement in Behcet’s disease: an analysis of the results from a Korean referral center

The purposes of this study are to review the results of endovascular and surgical interventions and to evaluate clinical appearances of recurrent arterial involvement in patients with peripheral arterial Behçet disease (BD). A total of 28 patients with peripheral arterial BD were identified. There were 24 males (85.7 %), with mean age of 40.0 ± 9.0 years (range 21–59). Arterial involvements were confirmed with computed tomography angiography, magnetic resonance image angiography, or ultrasound. Immunosuppressive agents were administrated to all patients. Indications of intervention were acute symptoms due to arterial occlusion and aneurysmal changes with or without rupture. Among 28 patients with peripheral arterial BD, 10 endovascular and 24 surgical interventions were performed in 21 patients. All 21 patients who underwent endovascular and surgical intervention were followed up for a mean duration of 78.7 ± 52.5 months (range 0–182 months). There was one mortality due to the rupture of pseudoaneurysm in patient who underwent stent-graft insertion for abdominal aortic aneurysm. New arterial involvements of BD occurred in 10 patients. All patients were male, and median age was 33.5 years (range 29–59 years). Mean time of onset of the new arterial lesion was 32.7 ± 32.1 months. In conclusion, the result of endovascular and surgical interventions is satisfactory in patients with acute peripheral arterial BD. Accurate diagnosis with immunosuppressive therapy is mandatory to prevent recurrence and activation of peripheral arterial BD.