OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of surgical bypass and to explore the role of transcranial doppler (TCD) during the bypass operation. METHODS: From March 2003 to February 2008, sixteen patients (4 male and 12 female) with mean age of 32 years old and mean disease course of 7.5 years were treated by surgical procedures. The main clinical presentations were dizziness, headache, vertigo, and visional dysfunction. Variated degree of artery stenoses in the 4 arteries (bilateral carotid and vertebral arteries) were revealed by color doppler ultrasonography and DSA. Eight patients underwent aorto-bi-subclavian arteries prosthetic graft bypass. Three patients underwent aorto-bi-subclavian artery prosthetic graft bypass and graft-unilateral carotid artery bypass with autologous great saphenous vein. Three patients underwent aorta-unilateral subclavian artery-unilateral carotid artery prosthetic graft bypass. Two patients underwent aorta carotid artery bypass with autologous great saphenous vein, of which one patient underwent aortocoronary artery bypass simultaneously. Cerebral blood supply was monitored in 14 patients with transcranial doppler. Unilateral subclavian carotid and femoral carotid artery shunt was used respectively to avoid cerebral ischemia during operation in 2 patients. RESULTS: Symptoms and signs of cerebral ischemia improved in all patients with effective rate of 100% apart from deflected tongue-protrusion in 3 patients which recovered in 2 weeks after operation. All patients survived and no symptoms recurred at the end of a 2.2 year's follow-up. Unfortunately, two patients developed aneurysm at the anastomosis within 4 years after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial reconstruction is an effective method for Takayasu's disease with severe cerebral ischemia. TCD monitoring plays an important role during the bypass operation. It can help to determine the revision of blood pressure and prevent postoperative brain reperfusion injury.