Gillies temporal incision: an alternate approach to superficial temporal artery biopsy

The main complications of a biopsy of the superficial temporal artery using a standard preauricular approach include scars on the face, weakness of the temporal branch of the facial nerve, and the possible harvest of a disease-free segment of artery. We describe a modification of the Gillies temporal approach, which when placed at the junction of the frontal and parietal branch can be easily modified to harvest either branch. It avoids scarring to the face as it is hidden within the hairline. The incision placed with specific measurements and palpation is easily reproducible. In patients with giant cell arteritis, arterial wall thickening, and narrowing of the lumen, reduced blood flow makes it harder to identify the artery with a Doppler scan. A procedure based on measurements and palpation is therefore likely to yield better results.