[Doppler sonography findings in arteriitis temporalis]

The results of 145 patients who had been examined by Doppler sonography for suspected giant cell arteritis were analysed. Alternating flow direction, reversed flow direction or "no-flow" in the supratrochlear and/or supraorbital arteries were considered as pathological findings as well as absence of signals from the trunk or branches of one or both superficial temporal arteries. Pathological findings at the periorbital arteries were obtained in 25.9% (n = 7) of the cases with histological proven giant cell arteritis. In a further 29.6% (n = 8) the superficial temporal artery findings were abnormal. Only 13.2% (n = 5) of the patients with normal histological findings and 5.7% (n = 2) of those with degenerative lesions of the temporal arteries had pathological Doppler sonographic findings. Two thirds of the patients with visual impairment showed abnormal findings in the periorbital arteries.