Orbital presentations of giant cell arteritis.
BACKGROUND
giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis that may affect the optic nerve and cause blindness (e.g. ischemic optic neuropathy). Orbital inflammatory disease, however, is an uncommon presentation of GCA.


OBJECTIVE
to alert clinicians to the orbital presentations of GCA.


METHODS
a retrospective case series from tertiary care academic ophthalmic referral centers of four patients with orbital manifestations of giant cell arteritis.


RESULTS
presentation of cases and review of the literature. In three cases, a temporal artery biopsy was diagnostic of GCA, but in one case, an orbital biopsy was needed to confirm the diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
GCA can have orbital manifestations and clinicians should be aware of this unusual presentation of GCA in cases of presumed orbital inflammatory pseudotumor in the elderly.
Lee
A G
AG
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242, USA. Andrew-lee@uiowa.edu
Tang
R A
RA
Feldon
S E
SE
Pless
M
M
Schiffman
J S
JS
Rubin
R M
RM
Rao
N
N
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009916:Orbital Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity
D005938:Glucocorticoids