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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
Published on: February 8, 2019
Giant cell arteritis: heterogeneity in clinical presentation and imaging results
Stan P Janssen1, Emile H Comans, Alexandre E Voskuyl
1Department of Internal Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is commonly known for its clinical presentation of temporal arteritis. However, GCA affects large arteries, predominantly the aorta and its proximal branches, in up to 75% of cases. We describe the clinical presentation and diagnostic test results of patients with large-vessel GCA.
Methods:
Case description of 11 patients with large-vessel GCA diagnosed consecutively in our hospital.
Results:
The clinical presentation of large-vessel GCA is highly variable, from systemic inflammation to aortic rupture. Imaging shows variable abnormalities, but 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission-tomography (18-FDG PET) seems to be a sensitive and reasonably specific diagnostic test for large-vessel GCA.
Conclusion:
Large-vessel GCA is a clinically heterogeneous condition. 18-FDG PET should be considered in the diagnostic work-up of suspected cases. Since this disorder has a high complication rate, and is responsive to treatment with corticosteroids, a high level of clinical suspicion is warranted.
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