Duplex Ultrasonography in Temporal Arteritis

Letters1 April 2003Duplex Ultrasonography in Temporal ArteritisCarlo Salvarani, MD, Angelo Ghirarduzzi, MD, and Luigi Boiardi, MD, PhDCarlo Salvarani, MDArcispedale S. Maria Nuova; 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy (Salvarani, Ghirarduzzi, Boiardi)Search for more papers by this author, Angelo Ghirarduzzi, MDArcispedale S. Maria Nuova; 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy (Salvarani, Ghirarduzzi, Boiardi)Search for more papers by this author, and Luigi Boiardi, MD, PhDArcispedale S. Maria Nuova; 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy (Salvarani, Ghirarduzzi, Boiardi)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-7-200304010-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:In our study, we found that ultrasonographic evidence of a dark halo (in particular a halo of 1 mm) around the lumen of the temporal arteries had good specificity (93%), but low sensitivity (40%). In other words, the presence of halo ruled in a diagnosis of giant-cell arteritis but its absence did not exclude it. Schmid and colleagues (1) recently found that the halo sign had a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 100% for diagnosing giant-cell arteritis. As in our study, all of their patients were prospectively examined, had temporal artery biopsy, and underwent ultrasonography before ...References1. Schmid R, Hermann M, Yannar A, Baumgartner RW. [Color duplex ultrasound of the temporal artery: replacement for biopsy in temporal arteritis]. Ophthalmologica. 2002;216:16-21. [PMID: 11901283] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Schmidt WA, Gromnica-Ihle E. Incidence of temporal arteritis in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica: a prospective study using colour Doppler ultrasonography of the temporal arteries. Rheumatology Oxford. 2002;41:46-52. [PMID: 11792879] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova; 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy (Salvarani, Ghirarduzzi, Boiardi) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoIs Duplex Ultrasonography Useful for the Diagnosis of Giant-Cell Arteritis? Carlo Salvarani , Mauro Silingardi , Angelo Ghirarduzzi , Giovanni Lo Scocco , PierLuigi Macchioni , GianLuigi Bajocchi , Marco Vinceti , Fabrizio Cantini , Ido Iori , and Luigi Boiardi Duplex Ultrasonography in Temporal Arteritis Wolfgang A. Schmidt and Erika Gromnica-Ihle Metrics Cited ByUltrasound cut-off values for intima-media thickness of temporal, facial and axillary arteries in giant cell arteritis 1 April 2003Volume 138, Issue 7Page: 609-610KeywordsArteriesBiopsyElderlyLesionsPolymyalgia rheumaticaSigns and symptomsSpecificityStenosisTemporal arteritisUltrasound imaging ePublished: 1 April 2003 Issue Published: 1 April 2003 CopyrightCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...