Figure 1.
An 80-year-old female patient with giant cell arteritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Axial thoracic CTA (A) with sagittal reformatting (B) and 3D volume rendering (C) demonstrated minimal thickening of the aortic wall (arrow in (A)) and a fusiform aneurysm of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta with parietal thrombosis.

Figure 2.
(A) A 37-year-old patient with Takayasu arteritis presenting with unstable angina. Axial thoracic CTA demonstrated aortic wall thickening and periaortic infiltration, as well as parietal inflammation of the supra-aortic trunks and coronary arteries, with myocardial infarction in the left anterior descending coronary artery territory. (B) A 35-year-old patient with Takayasu arteritis presenting with severe aortic insufficiency—aortitis was suspicioned intraoperatively during valvular replacement. Axial thoracic CTA demonstrated parietal thickening of the ascending aorta and periaortic infiltration.

Figure 3.
Complications of vasculitis—stenoses and occlusions. (A) Maximum intensity projection (MIP) of 3D-CTA showed brachial sub-occlusion (arrow) in a patient with parietal thickening of up to 4 mm in the supra-aortic trunks with extension to the axillary and brachial arteries. (B) Supra-aortic trunk CTA 3D volume rendering in a 38-year-old patient with TAK and Behcet’s disease overlap showed occlusion of the left subclavian and axillary arteries (arrow) with weak brachial artery distal reperfusion. (C) Axial cardiac CT in a 35-year-old patient with TAK revealing aortic wall thickening extending to the right coronary artery ostium with minor stenosis (arrow).

Figure 4.
Complications of vasculitis—stenoses and aneurysms. Thoracic and supra-aortic trunk CTA with 3D volume rendering (A,B) and coronal reformatting (C) in a 41-year-old patient with TAK showing ectasias of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta (A), aneurysm of brachiocephalic artery (arrow in (B)) and stenoses of the common carotid arteries (arrows in (C)), as well as subclavian arteries.

Figure 5.
Contrast-enhanced axial thoracic CTA in a patient with TAK showing a highly attenuating thickened wall of the descending aorta on unenhanced scan (A) and the “double ring” sign on venous-phase imaging (B): a hypodense internal ring (intima) surrounded by an enhancing outer ring (media and adventitia).

Figure 6.
A 48-year-old female patient with Behcet’s disease presenting with oral aphthous ulcers and dyspnea. (A) Axial thoracic CTA showed diffuse thickening of the pulmonary trunk and arteries with left pulmonary artery stenosis (arrow) with extension to the lobar, segmental, and subsegmental left pulmonary arteries and subsequent vascular paucity and reduced volume of the left lung seen on coronal reformatting (B) and 3D volume rendering (C).

Figure 7.
A 36-year-old male patient diagnosed with Hughes–Stovin syndrome presenting with hemoptysis and oro-genital aphthous ulcers with recurrent thrombotic events (inferior vena cava and renal veins). Axial thoracic CTA (A) with 3D-volume rendering (B) revealed a partially thrombosed left inferior lobar pulmonary artery aneurysm (arrows).

Figure 8.
Differential diagnosis of vasculitis—intramural hematoma and pulmonary trunk sarcoma. Patient with sudden severe chest pain—unenhanced axial thoracic CT (A,B) with coronal reformatting (C) revealed arterial mural hyperdensities along the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk suggestive of intramural hematoma; intraoperatively, suspicion of pulmonary trunk sarcoma was raised; histopathological result confirmed granulomatous necrotizing vasculitis.

Figure 9.
Differential diagnosis of vasculitis—Erdheim–Chester syndrome. Axial abdominal CT (A) with sagittal reformatting (B) showing diffuse retroperitoneal periaortic and perirenal tissue infiltration (“coated aorta” sign and “hairy kidneys”) in a patient with multiorgan affection (cerebral, osseous, renal, and pulmonary).

Figure 10.
Suggested differential diagnosis workflow approach of the main mimickers of LVV.