Tongue necrosis in temporal arteritis.

Temporal arteritis is a form of systemic vasculitis that involves branches of the carotid artery. Clinical features are headache, visual loss, ophthalmoplegia, jaw claudication, temporal headache, with tenderness and thickening on the affected temporal artery. We present 3 cases of tongue necrosis due to this granulomatous arteritis. Ischemic necrosis of the tongue is unusual and appears to be an association between its occurrence and high dose steroid tapering.