title: Concordance of bilateral temporal artery biopsy in giant cell arteritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the diagnostic sensitivity of bilateral temporal artery biopsy is superior to that of unilateral biopsy in cases of suspected temporal arteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of the results of 60 bilateral temporal artery biopsies examined in an ophthalmic pathology laboratory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The histopathologic diagnosis in 13% of the biopsy pairs was discordant. There was a 5% chance of obtaining a positive biopsy result on the side opposite an initially negative biopsy result.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bilateral temporal artery biopsy is 5% more likely than unilateral biopsy to detect the characteristic histopathologic findings in patients with temporal arteritis.
authors.affiliation: The Eye and Ear Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania 15221, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pless
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lamkin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lessell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology*