Intraoperative Frozen Section Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis of medium and large vessels that is diagnosed using temporal artery biopsy (TAB). In this case report, we explored the benefits of frozen section analysis as a rapid intraoperative diagnostic technique for GCA. We present the cases of two patients who underwent TAB with frozen section analysis, to demonstrate the value of this technique in initiating immediate treatment and potentially avoiding unnecessary contralateral biopsies when the frozen section of the first biopsy confirms GCA. We recommend further investigation into the use of frozen section analysis for patients suspected of having GCA, who might otherwise undergo bilateral TAB.

Keywords: case report; frozen section; giant cell arteritis; temporal artery biopsy; vasculitis.