title: Sclerosing mesenteritis associated with giant-cell temporal arteritis.
abstract: A 72-year-old man presented with a history of progressive abdominal pain associated with simultaneous headache, constitutional syndrome, and weight loss. A CT scan demonstrated sclerosing mesenteritis (SM). A surgical biopsy of mesenteric tissue excluded malignancies and a temporal artery biopsy showed giant-cell arteritis, establishing the diagnosis of SM associated with giant-cell temporal arteritis (GCA). Both entities responded well to steroid therapy and relapsed simultaneously after steroid withdrawal. This association may be fortuitous, but it can also represent a unique clinical setting. We suggest ruling out GCA every time a SM is encountered in the appropriate clinical setting (i.e., in elderly patients with other symptoms and signs suggestive of GCA). A temporal artery biopsy may be systematically considered in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gastroentérologie et hépatologie, Fédération médicochirurgicale des maladies de l'appareil digestif, Hôpital Simone Veil, 95602 Eaubonne, France.
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Howaizi
authors.forename: Akotete
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanate