Effects of early corticosteroid treatment on magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography findings in giant cell arteritis.

Objective: To compare the impact of initial corticosteroid treatment on high-resolution MRI and colour-coded duplex sonography (CCDS) findings in patients with GCA (temporal).

Methods: Sensitivity and specificity of CCDS and high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI studies of 59 patients with suspected GCA were retrospectively analysed. Patients were grouped according to the duration of steroid treatment before imaging: 0-1 day, 2-4 days and >4 days.