Temporal arteritis presenting with facial swelling and a negative temporal artery biopsy

Natalie Si Yi Lee, Tim Y. Lu, Alexandra Allende, Ian C. Francis*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A man in his 60s presented to the emergency department with marked bilateral preauricular swelling, associated with jaw claudication, temporal tenderness and blurred vision. He was immediately treated for temporal arteritis by commencing systemic corticosteroids. A temporal artery biopsy showed no evidence of vasculitis. However, positron emission tomography-CT demonstrated increased uptake in the medium-large vessels, including the left superficial temporal artery and aorta. This case illustrates that facial swelling may be an under-recognised presenting feature of temporal arteritis, and that a negative temporal artery biopsy does not always rule out a diagnosis of temporal arteritis, and should not delay treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere255731
Pages (from-to)1-3
Number of pages3
JournalBMJ Case Reports
Volume16
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Sept 2023

Keywords

  • Ophthalmology
  • Pathology
  • Vasculitis

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