Temporal artery biopsy
Last updated: Tuesday, 30, March, 2004
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| Item | Process |
|---|---|
| Specimen | Segment of temporal artery removed by open surgical biopsy. |
| Method | A shorter segment (2 cm) of artery is sufficient if the artery is clearly normal by inspection and palpation, otherwise a longer segment is required. Fresh tissue: frozen section, microscopy. Fixed tissue: usually processed urgently and multiple serial sections are examined. Laboratory staff should be consulted prior to submission of the biopsy. A clinical history, including current and past steroid therapy, is essential. |
| Application | Diagnosis of giant cell (temporal) arteritis. Therapy should not be delayed pending the biopsy result. |
| Interpretation | Report by pathologist of features diagnostic of temporal arteritis. It should be noted that changes may be segmental and that a negative biopsy does not exclude the diagnosis. In 15-20% of cases the diagnosis is confirmed following biopsy of the contralateral temporal artery. |
| Reference | Stehbens WE and Lie JT. Vascular Pathology. Chapman and Hall 1995. |