Ultrasound halo present in giant cell arteritis at baseline, diminishes with treatment

A halo present on arterial segments was seen in patients with newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis, but the marker diminished after 7 days of treatment with glucocorticoids.

Researchers examined data from 301 patients with newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) enrolled in the TABUL (Temporal Artery Biopsy vs. Ultrasound in diagnosis of GCA) study, which comprised 214 women and 87 men from the U.K. Ultrasound of both temporal and axillary arteries was performed within 7 days of the administration of glucocorticoid therapy. Half were scanned on the second day of treatment or before.

A cross-sectional analysis with linear regression showed the relationship of halo size and ischemic symptoms of GCA were related. In 43% of patients, one or more temporal segments presented a halo pattern, 48.5% of patients had bilateral temporal artery halos, and 12.6% had axillary involvement.

The researchers found at least one ischemic GCA symptom in 42% of patients, including jaw claudication, which was more frequent in patients who presented an arterial halo.

Linear regression showed that, during the 7 days of glucocorticoid treatment, the halo size grew consistently smaller, making the likelihood of finding a halo diminish over time, particularly after day 4 of treatment, according to the researchers.

Reference:

Serafim AS, et al. Paper #796. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting. Nov. 14-19, 2014; Boston.

Disclosure: Serafim has no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.