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Temporal artery biopsy in giant cell arteritis : clinical perspectives and histological patterns

Stamatis, Pavlos LU orcid ; Turesson, Carl LU and Mohammad, Aladdin J. LU (2024) In Frontiers in Medicine 11.
Abstract

Although its role has been debated, temporal artery biopsy (TAB) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of cranial giant cell arteritis (GCA). The specificity of TAB is excellent and the sensitivity, albeit lower, is comparable with other diagnostic modalities used for the diagnosis of GCA. This outpatient procedure has a low rate of complications and is well integrated in the majority of healthcare systems. The length of the specimen, the number of the examined sections and the prolonged use of glucocorticoids before the biopsy may affect the outcome of the TAB as diagnostic tool. The typical histological findings in GCA are often characterized by granulomatous inflammation with infiltration of mononuclear cells with or without... (More)

Although its role has been debated, temporal artery biopsy (TAB) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of cranial giant cell arteritis (GCA). The specificity of TAB is excellent and the sensitivity, albeit lower, is comparable with other diagnostic modalities used for the diagnosis of GCA. This outpatient procedure has a low rate of complications and is well integrated in the majority of healthcare systems. The length of the specimen, the number of the examined sections and the prolonged use of glucocorticoids before the biopsy may affect the outcome of the TAB as diagnostic tool. The typical histological findings in GCA are often characterized by granulomatous inflammation with infiltration of mononuclear cells with or without the presence of giant cell, varying degrees of external and internal elastic lamina damage and intimal thickening. Overlooking signs of inflammation in the adventitia and in connective tissue surrounding the temporal artery may lead to false negative results. The distinction between healed arteritis and age-related atherosclerosis may be challenging.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
adventitial inflammation, arteritis, giant cell (temporal) arteritis, histology, polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), specimen length, temporal artery biopsy, transmural inflammation
in
Frontiers in Medicine
volume
11
article number
1453462
publisher
Frontiers Media S. A.
external identifiers
  • pmid:39386746
  • scopus:85206106727
ISSN
2296-858X
DOI
10.3389/fmed.2024.1453462
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2024 Stamatis, Turesson and Mohammad.
id
77ef186e-e9eb-418b-907b-83e3e7c08af8
date added to LUP
2024-12-18 14:03:55
date last changed
2025-07-03 06:24:22
@article{77ef186e-e9eb-418b-907b-83e3e7c08af8,
  abstract     = {{<p>Although its role has been debated, temporal artery biopsy (TAB) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of cranial giant cell arteritis (GCA). The specificity of TAB is excellent and the sensitivity, albeit lower, is comparable with other diagnostic modalities used for the diagnosis of GCA. This outpatient procedure has a low rate of complications and is well integrated in the majority of healthcare systems. The length of the specimen, the number of the examined sections and the prolonged use of glucocorticoids before the biopsy may affect the outcome of the TAB as diagnostic tool. The typical histological findings in GCA are often characterized by granulomatous inflammation with infiltration of mononuclear cells with or without the presence of giant cell, varying degrees of external and internal elastic lamina damage and intimal thickening. Overlooking signs of inflammation in the adventitia and in connective tissue surrounding the temporal artery may lead to false negative results. The distinction between healed arteritis and age-related atherosclerosis may be challenging.</p>}},
  author       = {{Stamatis, Pavlos and Turesson, Carl and Mohammad, Aladdin J.}},
  issn         = {{2296-858X}},
  keywords     = {{adventitial inflammation; arteritis; giant cell (temporal) arteritis; histology; polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR); specimen length; temporal artery biopsy; transmural inflammation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
  series       = {{Frontiers in Medicine}},
  title        = {{Temporal artery biopsy in giant cell arteritis : clinical perspectives and histological patterns}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1453462}},
  doi          = {{10.3389/fmed.2024.1453462}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}