title: Giant cell arteritis--an incidental finding.
abstract: Giant cell arteritis is a systemic, inflammatory, and vascular syndrome that requires early diagnosis and immediate management because of the risk of loss of vision. Local symptoms include headache, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, visual disturbances, and scalp necrosis. Systemic symptoms include weight loss, fever, malaise, fatigue, and polymyalgia rheumatica. We describe a case that was identified histologically as an incidental finding after excision of a basal cell carcinoma from the parietal area of the scalp. A search of PubMed and Medline using the keywords "giant cell arteritis", and "incidental histopathological diagnosis" returned no similar previously published cases in the head and neck. We present this as an unusual and interesting case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, Scotland, UK. gilliangreenhill@nhs.net
authors.forename: Gillian A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Greenhill
authors.forename: D W G
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D010294:Parietal Bone; D012535:Scalp / Q000601:surgery; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*