Arteritis de células gigantes evidenciada por ulceraciones de la mano

Introduction. Giant cell arteritis is a chronic vasculitis of large and medium-sized arteries that usually affects elderly patients in the majority of cases. Involvement of the cranial arteries leads to the classic symptoms of headache, painful thickening of the temporal artery, jaw claudication, and visual loss. It could be complicated of necrosis of scalp and tongue bul exceptionally it induce necrosis of hand. Case report. A 74-year-old woman admilted for ulcer of the left arm. Physical exam revealed the absence of pulse of upper limbs. The Dúplex ultrasonography of cervical arteritis showed a homogeneous thickening wilh inflammalory features. The biopsy specimens were taken from the temporal artery. Histologic examination revealed a dense infíltrate of the media wilh lymphocyíes and giant cells, which confirmed the diagnosis of Horton disease. The patient was treated by corticosleroids and anticoagulation drugs immediately after diagnosis was proven and their symptoms improved wilh healing of lesions; the follow-up was uneventful with improvement of symptoms and disappearance of the ulcer that healed after four months. [ANGIOLOGÍA 2009; 61: 271-4]