Giant cell arteritis: recent advances and guidelines for management.

This article reviews some of the recent work in epidemiology and pathology of giant cell arteritis (GCA), with particular regard to the immuno-histochemical findings in temporal artery biopsy (TAB) specimens. The diagnostic as well as prognostic role of biopsy histology is discussed. The role of novel imaging techniques e.g. duplex ultrasonography and FDG-PET scanning in diagnosis and staging of disease extent is reviewed. Existing evidence on the treatment is also discussed to propose guidelines on management of GCA.