Avtor/Urednik     Ješe, Rok; Rotar, Žiga; Tomšič, Matija; Hočevar, Alojzija
Naslov     The role of colour doppler ultrasonography of facial and occipital arteries in patients with giant cell arteritis
Tip     članek
Vol. in št.     , št. Vol. 95
Leto izdaje     2017
Obseg     str. 9-12
ISSN     0720-048X - European journal of radiology
Jezik     eng
Abstrakt     Objective Colour Doppler Sonography (CDS) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) allows the study of involvement of cranial arteries other than the temporal arteries, which are inconvenient to biopsy, such as the facial (FaA), and occipital (OcA) arteries. We aimed to estimate the frequency of the FaA, and OcA involvement in GCA; and to explore the clinical characteristics of these subgroups of patients. Methods From 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016 we prospectively performed a CDS of the FaA, and OcA in addition to the temporal (TA), and the extracranial supra-aortic arteries in all newly diagnosed patients suspected of having GCA. All the arteries were evaluated in two planes for the highly specific halo sign. Results During the 36-month observation period we performed a CDS of the cranial and extra-cranial arteries in 93 GCA patients. We observed the halo sign on the FaA, and OcA in 38 (40.9%), and 29 (31.2%) cases, respectively. The FaA, or OcA were affected in 4/22 (18.2%) patients with a negative TA CDS. FaA involvement significantly correlated with jaw claudication and with severe visual manifestations, including permanent visual loss. Conclusions A fifth of patients with a negative CDS of the TAs had signs of vasculitis on the CDS of the FaA, or OcA. The addition of FaA and OcA CDS to the routine CDS of the TAs could identify 4.3% more patients and thus further improve the sensitivity of the CDS in the suspected GCA.
Proste vsebinske oznake     giant cell arteritis
colour doppler sonography
facial and occipital artery
giant celični arteritis
barvna doppler sonografija
obrazna in sklepna arterija