[Correlation of ultrasound biomicroscopy with histological findings in diagnosis of giant cell arteritis].
BACKGROUND
A biopsy of the temporal arteries is still the appropriate method to prove the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. We evaluated the potential use of high-resolution ultrasound-biomicroscopy in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis.


METHODS
In a prospective study we examined 16 patients (8 women and 8 men) with a mean age of 71 years with the clinical suspicion of a giant cell arteritis. Additionally to the clinical examination the temporal arteries were imaged in all patients using the ultrasound-biomicroscopy (Zeiss-Humphrey Instruments). The results were correlated to the histopathologic changes of the temporal arteries excised bilaterally at the same location.


RESULTS
Histopathological evaluation revealed a granulomatous arteritis in 4 out of 16 examined patients. The temporal arteries of these patients also showed characteristic changes using ultrasound biomicroscopy like middle-reflective shadowing of the arterial lumen and a condensation and enlargement of the muscularis media. Ultrasound-biomicroscopy allowed a precise evaluation of the temporal arteries due to a high-resolution sonographic image. The morphological differentiation between a normal and an affected artery was possible. A positive correlation between histopathological and clinical findings was seen in all patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In this preliminary study the ultrasound-biomicroscopy seemed to be an appropriate non-invasive tool for the morphological imaging and evaluation of temporal arteries.
Wenkel
H
H
Aúgenklinik mit Poliklinik, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Michelson
G
G
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*