Low Diagnostic Yield with Second Biopsies in Suspected Giant Cell Arteritis

Update Item Information
Title Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, September 2000, Volume 20, Issue 3
Date 2000-09
Language eng
Format application/pdf
Type Text
Publication Type Journal Article
Collection Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library: Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology Archives: https://novel.utah.edu/jno/
Publisher Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Holding Institution Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Rights Management © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society
ARK ark:/87278/s6r52wtb
Setname ehsl_novel_jno
ID 225077
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6r52wtb

Page Metadata

Title Low Diagnostic Yield with Second Biopsies in Suspected Giant Cell Arteritis
Creator Danesh-Meyer, Helen V.; Savino, Peter J.; Eagle, Ralph C.; Kubis, Kenneth C.; Sergott, Robert C.
Affiliation Neuro-Ophthalmology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
Abstract OBJECTIVES: The clinical diagnosis of giant cell arteritis may be confirmed with a biopsy of the superficial temporal artery. Because of "skip lesions," a histologic diagnosis of giant cell arteritis may be missed with a unilateral biopsy. The authors report a study that investigates whether a biopsy of the contralateral superficial temporal artery provides any additional information for confirmation of a diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. METHODS: Available medical records of 91 consecutive patients who underwent bilateral superficial temporal artery biopsy procedures were reviewed. Information that was abstracted included sequence of biopsy procedures, length specimens, and histologic diagnosis. Microslides from all biopsy specimens were retrieved and reexamined in a masked fashion by the ocular pathologist (RCE) who had made the original diagnoses. RESULTS: Seventy-two bilateral simultaneous superficial temporal artery biopsies and 19 bilateral sequential biopsies were performed. The mean length of biopsy specimens was 23 mm, and the mean length of the total artery removed from each patient was 33 mm. The pathologist's original diagnosis and the diagnosis at reexamination were in 100% agreement. In 90 (99%) of the 91 patients, the histologic diagnoses in the left and right superficial temporal arteries were the same. This is a concordance rate of 98.9% (38 of 39 positive biopsy results) among the positive biopsy results. CONCLUSION: There is a low yield of information from a second temporal artery biopsy in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis. This suggests that patients who present to the ophthalmologist with possible giant cell arteritis will, in most cases, have a similar diagnosis on both temporal artery biopsies if the specimens are adequate.
Subject Biopsy/methods; Giant Cell Arteritis/diagnosis; Humans; Temporal Arteries/pathology
OCR Text Show
Format application/pdf
Publication Type Journal Article
Collection Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library: Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology Archives: https://novel.utah.edu/jno/
Publisher Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Holding Institution Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Rights Management © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society
Setname ehsl_novel_jno
ID 225072
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6r52wtb/225072
Back to Search Results