Usefulness of imaging techniques in the management of giant cell arteritis.

Imaging has become an essential tool in the management of patients with giant cell arteritis. Cranial involvement detected by Doppler ultrasonography is an unquestionable diagnostic finding. Imaging of the aorta and its branches with positron emission tomography, computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance imaging may also have a role in diagnosis and in the assessment of disease activity and response to treatment, but standardisation and validation are still needed before their widespread use as an outcome measure. Aortic structural damage is associated with increased mortality in giant cell arteritis; therefore, periodic screening is recommended.