Determination of the Value of Color Doppler Ultrasound in Patients With a Clinical Suspicion of Giant Cell Arteritis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

It is urgent to diagnose giant cell arteritis (GCA) as quickly as possible to prevent irreversible blindness. The traditional gold standard for diagnosing GCA is temporal artery biopsy (TAB). However, TAB lacks diagnostic performance and carries out risks of surgical intervention. The noninvasive color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) seems to be a promising alternative. This study is designed to assess the diagnostic value of CDU in daily clinical practice.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, patients with a clinical suspicion of active GCA were included and underwent a CDU of the temporal arteries. If deemed necessary by the referrer, a TAB and/or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography was performed. The retrospective clinical

SUBMITTER: Kaandorp BI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10867289 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature