Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0039483 (giant cell arteritis)
 3,204 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study was designed to investigate the value of biologic evidence of inflammation for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. Experienced physicians were asked to evaluate five pairs of medical records based on real cases. In each pair, one case lacked biologic evidence of inflammation. This study offered the opportunity to explore the feasibility of a simplified Bayes model. A blind evaluation obtained by showing the paired case-reports with similar evidence of inflammation in both cases of each pair to 14 specialty physicians yielded a likelihood of diagnosis of +/- 20%. Analysis of the 46 responses to the study demonstrated, despite wide variations, a significantly greater likelihood of diagnosis in the cases with evidence of inflammation. Nevertheless, 17% to 36% of physicians--according to the case-report--ascribed virtually no importance to the ESR. Most of the physicians considered temporal artery biopsy was warranted when the likelihood of diagnosis was greater than 25%. Emergency corticosteroid therapy while awaiting the histologic results was approved by most responders when the likelihood of diagnosis was greater than 65%. The "pre-test" likelihood, calculated assuming that sensitivity and specificity of the ESR are 0.99 and 0.50, respectively, ranged from 0.89 to 0.98 for the case-reports with no evidence of inflammation and from 0.16 to 0.59 for the case-reports with evidence of inflammation In theory, the figures for the two types of case-report should not differ by more than 20%. Use of a low value for specificity (0.05) would improve the fit of values in cases without evidence of inflammation but would increase discrepancies in the other cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic 1992 May
PMID:[Significance of inflammatory syndrome in the diagnosis of Horton's disease. Attempt at the application of Bayesian analysis]. 141 Nov 93

In a patient treated with high doses of corticosteroids for giant cell arteritis, a renewed rise in sedimentation rate accompanied by painful limitation of mobility of the shoulder led to the discovery of an intra-deltoid fluid collection. Aspiration yielded pus, culture showing the presence of Nocardia asteroides (NA). No portal of entry nor extramuscular sites of infection were found, justifying a diagnosis of primary nocardial muscle abscess. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case. The opportunity is taken to review the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of NA infections as well as new management approaches.
Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic 1992 Feb
PMID:[Primary Nocardia asteroides deltoid abscess in treated Horton disease]. 160 28

"Camptocormism" in the elderly is an acquired kyphosis which increases during walking and is totally reducible in dorsal horizontal position in two thirds of cases. The authors report 16 cases of camptocormism in patients with a mean age of 76 (12 women, 4 men). Camptocormism was accompanied in 5 cases by an extrapyramidal syndrome, in 3 cases by articular chondrocalcinosis, in 1 case by giant cell arteritis and in 1 by rheumatoid arthritis. There was no inflammatory syndrome and muscle enzymes were raised in only 4 cases. Electromyogram of the paravertebral muscles was pathological in 5 cases, with neurogenic changes in 4 cases and a myogenic type tracing in one. CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging showed evidence in all cases of atrophy with fatty involution of the paravertebral muscles. Biopsies of the paravertebral muscles revealed moderate mononuclear cell infiltrates in 4 cases with similar abnormalities in peripheral muscles. Corticosteroids had a beneficial effect in 11 cases out of 13 and the most prolonged results were seen after bolus doses of methylprednisolone. These findings suggest that camptocormism in the elderly could be linked to inadequacy of the paravertebral muscles or, in certain cases, to interstitial myositis.
Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic 1992 Mar
PMID:[Camptocormia in the elderly. A new entity by paravertebral muscle involvement?]. 160 34

Diffuse arterial involvement in temporal arteritis is well known but the intimate mechanisms of vasculopathy is unknown. Recently the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) has been recognized in giant cell arteritis. We report two cases of temporal arteritis with diffuse arterial involvement associated with aCL (axillary arteries in the two cases associated with femoral arteries in one). During corticosteroid and anticoagulant therapy, a rapid improvement was noted with regression of upper-limb ischemia. One month later, the aCL were absent. These cases confirm the presence of aCL in giant cell arteritis with diffuse arterial involvement. These antibodies might imply severe vascular damage and could play a role in pathogenesis of the vasculopathy of temporal arteritis. Their presence suggests the necessity of anticoagulant therapy at the beginning of corticosteroid therapy.
J Mal Vasc 1992
PMID:[Horton's disease with involvement of the arterial trunks of the arms. Pathogenic role of anticardiolipin antibodies? Report of two cases]. 161 8

Seventeen cases of Wegener's granulomatosis have been reviewed in search of articular involvement. Articular symptoms were present in 13 cases (76 p. cent), and were inaugural in 9 cases (53 p. cent). Six of these patients experienced arthralgias, which were most often migratory, and were inaugural in 3 cases. Seven patients had arthritides, which were inaugural in 6 cases; they were fixed and additive in 6 of these 7 cases, making up a distal polyarthritis in 3 patients, and an oligoarthritis in the 3 other ones; they were transient and migratory in 1 case. The 3 cases of distal polyarthritis were inaugural and fulfilled the ARA criteria for rheumatoid arthritis; two of them were accompanied by nodules which were quite identical to rheumatoid ones. There was no axial involvement. Joint involvement was not destructive and had a favourable course under disease treatment. Myalgias were present in 3 cases, one of which simulated Horton's disease. Biological manifestations chiefly consisted of marked inflammatory changes. Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies were present in 11 out of 16 patients in whom they were searched; among 6 of these patients who had active disease, they were present in 5. The antibody level decreased as treatment reduced disease activity and suppressed joint involvement. Joint involvement in Wegener's granulomatosis seems to be the inconstant hallmark of disease activity. It requires no specific treatment.
Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic 1990 Dec
PMID:[Articular manifestations in Wegener's disease. Report of 13 cases]. 208 Mar 96

We report the case of a 72 year old woman treated for seven months for Horton's disease presenting with a cavitating pneumonia of the left axillary segment associated with a deterioration of the general state, at the time of which the steroid therapy was in the course of being decreased. The radiological appearance and the clinical context of immune depression had led to a trial of a quadruple anti-tuberculous therapy in spite of the absence of any bacteriological proof. This rapid aggravation of the condition under treatment led to the suggestion of a pulmonary localisation of Horton's disease. The rapid regression of the lesions after increasing the dose of steroids and the negative cultures on Lowenstein medium pleaded in favour of this hypothesis. However the continuation of anti-tuberculous treatment seems justified in such cases in so far as the diagnosis of Horton's disease of the lung often cannot be maintained other than retrospectively in the absence of histological proof.
Rev Mal Respir 1990
PMID:[Steroid-sensitive cavitating pulmonary opacity in Horton's disease]. 225 38

A case of lingual necrosis in a patient irradiated 3 years earlier for a tonsillar tumor is presented. Imputability to a post-radiology bilateral external carotid thrombosis is evoked, where the diagnosis of tumoral recurrence and Horton's disease have been ruled out. Cervical peridural nerve block allowed successful treatment of this lesion.
J Mal Vasc 1990
PMID:[Radiation-induced thrombosis of the carotid artery and lingual necrosis. Report of a case treated by cervical peridural nerve block]. 228 20

A histological diagnosis of Horton's disease was made in 4 patients with lesions of the axillary-subclavian arteries by biopsy of these vessels. Unilateral biopsy of the temporal artery, performed initially in 2 of these patients, during surgery in one and immediately after surgery in another, had been negative in 3 cases and insufficient for a diagnosis in 1 case. For temporal biopsy to be valuable, the arterial fragment resected must be long enough and serial histological sections must be performed to avoid false-negative results. It is only when these conditions are fulfilled that negative results may be considered. Horton's disease of the axillary-subclavian arteries is relatively frequent, and histological studies of these vessels have already been used to assert the diagnosis in case of negative or non-performed temporal biopsy, whether or not the arteriographic findings were suggestive of the disease. The indications for subclavian biopsy remain to be determined. It can be carried out for diagnostic purposes in case of clinically atypical suspected Horton's disease revealed by axillary-subclavian lesions and negative temporal biopsy, particularly when revascularization proves necessary.
Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 1989 Oct
PMID:[Extratemporal Horton's disease: diagnosis using subclavian biopsy. 4 cases]. 251 74

170 patients with suspected temporal arteritis underwent Doppler investigation before temporal artery biopsy. Doppler study included the large cervical trunks, the ophthalmic system and analysis of the terminal branches of the external carotid with recording of the temporal territory on 3 points. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of temporal arteritis in 48 cases; it was negative in 122 cases. Doppler study and histological examination agreed in 137 patients (80%). There was disagreement in 33 cases (20%). The Doppler signal was pathological in 43 of the 48 cases of temporal arteritis (90%). There were 5 false negatives (10%). In subjects free from temporal arteritis, the Doppler examination was normal in 94 cases (77%), and was pathological in 28 cases (23%). The sensitivity of Doppler examination in the diagnosis of temporal arteritis was 90%, its specificity was 77%. The predictive value of a positive Doppler vis-a-vis the condition was only 61%. On the other hand, the predictive value of a normal examination was very high (95%). The high level of false positives is explained by technical problems, but especially by a high incidence of sometimes very stenosing senile arteritis. Finally, 3 of the 28 false positives (11%) subsequently developed authentic inflammatory arteritis. The authors conclude that a positive Doppler examination does not allow reliable prediction of the presence of temporal arteritis. On the other hand, a normal examination almost always allows the diagnosis of temporal arteritis to be excluded with a risk of error of less than 5%.
J Mal Vasc 1989
PMID:[Sensitivity and specificity of temporal Doppler in Horton's disease]. 269 66

A study of the eyeball was carried out using a double frequency Doppler transducer in 31 patients suffering from histologically confirmed temporal arteritis. These patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the results of the ophthalmological examination: group A: 20 patients; normal ophthalmological exam, group B: 5 patients; non specific ocular anomalies, group C: 6 patients; ocular lesions specific to temporal arteritis (ischemic optic neuropathy with amaurosis, dysoric nodules). Doppler examination demonstrated normal curves in the patients in groups A and B. The mean amplitude of systolic peaks was 7.9 mm in group A and 10.3 mm in group B (P = NS). These data did not differ from those of a control population of 22 subjects not suffering from temporal arteritis. On the other hand, group C demonstrated important anomalies on Doppler examination: lack of ophthalmic signal in one case; marked dampening of curves in 4 cases; zones of turbulence in one patient. The mean amplitude of systolic peaks was drastically decreased (1.8 mm). After steroid treatment, a significant increase in blood velocity was seen leading to a normalization of tracings in the majority of cases, including the patients in group C. Doppler examination would appear capable of reliably assessing the risk of ophthalmic complications of temporal arteritis when blood flow anomalies exist. On the other hand, patients with normal Doppler curves may be considered to be at little risk. Subjects at high risk should be urgently treated with high doses of steroids and can be regularly monitored by repeated Doppler examination.
J Mal Vasc 1989
PMID:[Role of Doppler in the diagnosis of ophthalmic complications of Horton's disease]. 269 67


1 2 3 4 Next >>