title: Giant cell arteritis: diagnosis and therapeutic management.
abstract: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common systemic vasculitis in the elderly in Western countries. Anemia and very high erythrocyte sedimentation rates are associated with lower incidence of severe ischemic events. Temporal artery biopsy is the gold standard in the diagnosis of GCA. A threshold size of 1 cm of post-formalin fixed segment of the temporal artery was associated with increased diagnostic yield of GCA. Other tools such as ultrasound, MRI, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography are useful in the diagnosis of GCA. Corticosteroids are the cornerstone treatment of GCA. Studies using other drugs have yielded contradictory results.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Division, Hospital Xeral-Calde, Lugo, Spain. miguelaggay@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Gay
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia-Porrua
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Miranda-Filloy
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18