[Translation into French and republication of: "French recommendations for the use of Imaging in Giant Cell Arteritis"].

Authors

Olivier Espitia, Hubert de Boysson, Emmanuel Heron, Christine Rodriguez-Regent, Sandrine Jousse, François Xavier Lapebie, Marie-Pierre Gobin-Metteil, Marie Morard, Florent L Besson, Bastien Jamet, Xavier Puechal, Laurent Sailler, Alban Redheuil, Christian Agard, Jean-Michel Serfaty, Quentin Gomes de Pinho, Raphaèle Seror, Yann Nguyen, Catherine Vignal-Clermont, Simon Parreau, Valérie Devauchelle-Pensec, Augustin Lecler, David Saadoun, Maxime Samson, Alexis Regent, et le groupe français des recommandations sur l’imagerie dans l’artérite à cellules géantes, Membres du groupe français des recommandations sur l’imagerie dans l’artérite à cellules géantes

Published in

La Revue de medecine interne. Sep 16, 2026. Epub Sep 16, 2026.

Abstract

We aimed at developing French recommendations for the use of imaging modalities in Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA).
A systematic literature review was conducted to identify evidence regarding the use of Doppler ultrasound (DUS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) angiography and [¹⁸F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET/CT) for diagnosing, monitoring, and predicting the outcome of GCA. The task force, composed of 23 physicians, proposed the recommendations through an iterative process based on evidence and expert opinion, with consensus determined by anonymous voting.
The task force recommends an early imaging test for patients with suspected GCA. The recommendations propose DUS as the first-line imaging test for all patients with suspected GCA. FDG-PET, cranial MRI, aortic MRI and CT-scan can be used as alternative methods to assess the cranial and/or extracranial arteries, providing imaging evidence of vasculitis. Imaging of large vessels is also useful for determining prognosis and follow-up procedures. In patients with suspected visual GCA, ophtalmoscopic fundus examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and retinal angiography should be performed in emergency. Although imaging is not routinely recommended for follow-up, it may be used to assess a persistent vascular inflammatory process in patients suspected of relapse, especially when inflammatory biomarkers are unreliable. In this situation, vascular activity scores are recommended for follow-up. Imaging may be used to monitor long-term structural damage, particularly in areas where vascular inflammation has previously been detected.
The recommendations offer guidance on the use of imaging for diagnosing and evaluating patients with GCA.

PMID:
42749538
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Sep 2026.

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