ArticleAnnals of medicine and surgery (2012)2017
Temporal artery biopsy in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis: Does the end justify the means?
Article in Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- 2021 American College of Rheumatology/Vasculitis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu Arteritis.Arthritis care & research · 2021Guideline
- 2021 American College of Rheumatology/Vasculitis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu Arteritis.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2021Guideline
- Article
- Unmasking the Great Mimic: An Atypical Presentation of Giant Cell Arteritis With Recurrent and Isolated Diplopia.Cureus · 2025Article
- Article
- Transient Monocular Visual Loss (Amaurosis Fugax): How Does Age Impact Diagnosis?Ophthalmology and therapy · 2024Review
- Determination of the Value of Color Doppler Ultrasound in Patients With a Clinical Suspicion of Giant Cell Arteritis.ACR open rheumatology · 2024Article
- Optimizing the use of temporal artery biopsy: a retrospective study.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale · 2023Article
- Temporal Artery Biopsy Debate: Positive TAB Result Prolongs Steroid Use in Giant Cell Arteritis.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2022Article
- Necessity of Temporal Artery Biopsy for Giant Cell Arteritis: A Systematic Review.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2022Article
- The diagnostic accuracy of temporal artery ultrasound and temporal artery biopsy in giant cell arteritis: A single center Australian experience over 10 years.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2022Article
- Giant Cell Arteritis: Updates and Controversies.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2022Review
- Evolution of ultrasound in giant cell arteritis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Clinical and technical determinants of positive temporal artery biopsy: a retrospective cohort study.Rheumatology international · 2021Article
- Giant Cell Arteritis Presenting as Unilateral Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.Cureus · 2021Article
- Giant Cell Arteritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Test Accuracy and Benefits and Harms of Common Treatments.ACR open rheumatology · 2021Review
- Dysregulated Expression of Arterial MicroRNAs and Their Target Gene Networks in Temporal Arteries of Treatment-Naïve Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- The Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients With Clinical Suspicion of Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis: A Prospective, Observational, and Cross-sectional Study.ACR open rheumatology · 2020Article
- Giant Cell Arteritis with Aortic Involvement Leading to Cardio Vocal Syndrome (Ortner's Syndrome).Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2020Article
- Increased diagnostic accuracy of giant cell arteritis using three-dimensional fat-saturated contrast-enhanced vessel-wall magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T.European radiology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEarly temporal artery biopsy is recommended in all patients with suspected cranial GCA (Giant Cell Arteritis) by the BSR (British Society of Rheumatology) and BHPR (British Health Professionals in Rheumatology) guidelines. This should be performed within one week ideally.
aimTo assess ACR (American College of Rheumatology) score at presentation and whether temporal artery biopsy result affects clinical management of the clinically suspected GCA patient.
methodCase records of all temporal artery biopsies performed within January 2012 until December 2014 were analysed for size and result of biopsy and this was correlated to clinical management following result.
results129 temporal arteries were biopsied with a total of 17 positive biopsy results. 10 biopsy samples were insufficient to confirm or refute GCA. 8 patients within the biopsies negative for GCA had their prednisolone therapy stopped. 5 patients had unknown follow up, with the remainder (89, 87.3%) of the patients continued prednisolone management for treatment of GCA for at least 6 weeks.
conclusionOverall 13.2% of our biopsies were positive for GCA and 87.3% of biopsy negative patients continued prednisolone therapy on clinical grounds. In the face of new diagnostic tests (high resolution MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), colour duplex USS (Ultra Sound Scan) and PET (Positive Emission Topography) can we justify invasive surgery to all patients on histological grounds when the results may not alter management? Further investigation is needed directly comparing newer imaging modalities to histology.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.