Temporal Artery Ultrasound to Diagnose Giant Cell Arteritis: A Practical Guide.

Abstract The diagnostic modalities for giant cell arteritis (GCA) have evolved significantly in recent years. Among the different diagnostic tools developed, Doppler ultrasound of the temporal arteries, with a sensitivity and specificity reaching 69% and 82%, respectively, is now recognized as superior and, therefore, is a first-line diagnostic tool in GCA. Moreover, with the increasing development of new ultrasound technologies, the accuracy of Doppler ultrasound in GCA seems to be constantly improving. In this article, we describe in detail the scanning technique to perform while realizing Doppler ultrasound of temporal arteries to assess GCA, as well as the diagnostic performance of this tool according to current literature.