Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Serial assessment of ultrasound sensitivity and scores in patients with giant cell arteritis before and 3 and 10 days after treatment
An erratum to this article was published (Rheumatology (Oxford), 1 Aug 2026 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
The vasculitic US findings expressed by OGUS diminished after 3 days of GC treatment. TA-US sensitivity decreased after 10 days, whereas LV-US was less likely to change, highlighting the importance of LV-assessment.
Study context
- Population
- Treatment-naïve patients with new-onset giant cell arteritis (GCA); 18F-FDG PET/CT, US and temporal artery (TA) biopsy in all
- Participants
- 48 patients
- Exposure
- Vascular US before vs 3 and 10 days after glucocorticoid (GC) commencement
- Outcome
- Sensitivity and scores (OMERACT GCA Ultrasonography score (OGUS), halo count) of vascular US before and after initiating GC
Methodological detailssonographers unblinded to clinical data, Sonographers were unblinded to the clinical data
- Sonographers unblinded to clinical data
- Sonographers were unblinded to the clinical data
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Overall US sensitivity (all vessels)
Day 3 vs Before GC: P = 0.16 · Day 10 vs Before GC: P = 0.10
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Before GC | Day 3 | Day 10 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TA-US sensitivityDay 10 vs Before GC | 73% (95% CI 58–85) | — not stated in the abstract | 53% (95% CI 38–68) | P < 0.01 |
| LV-US sensitivityDay 10 vs Before GC | 71% (95% CI 56–83) | — not stated in the abstract | 60% (95% CI 44–74) | P = 0.13 |
| OGUSDay 3 vs Before GC · median | 1.06 (IQR 0.83–1.24) | 0.95 (IQR 0.78–1.14) | 0.90 (IQR 0.73–1.01) | P < 0.01 |
| OGUSDay 10 vs Before GC | P < 0.001 | |||
| Halo countDay 10 vs Before GC · median | 3 (IQR 2–5) | — not stated in the abstract | 2 (IQR 1–4) | P < 0.01 |
— not stated in the abstract
Original publication
Serial assessment of ultrasound sensitivity and scores in patients with giant cell arteritis before and 3 and 10 days after treatment. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 14 October 2024. doi:10.
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