The length of superficial temporal artery biopsies.

Background: To compare temporal artery biopsy specimen lengths from a tertiary care and a community hospital in New South Wales to recommended clinical guidelines in suspected giant cell arteritis.

Design: A retrospective observational study of all patients who underwent temporal artery biopsy at Bathurst Base Hospital (BBH) and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) over a 5-year period.

Methods: Patients who underwent temporal artery biopsy during the 5-year period were identified using computerized hospital databases.