Temporal artery ultrasonography for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis: a case report.

This article focuses on the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA), a chronic large-vessel vasculitis primarily affecting adults over 50, which often mimics temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and can lead to serious complications such as vision loss and stroke. It presents a case report of a 72-year-old woman with facial pain initially misdiagnosed as TMD, whose diagnosis of GCA was confirmed using temporal artery ultrasonography (TAUSG), a noninvasive imaging modality that detects characteristic signs such as the “halo” and “skip lesions.” The article highlights that TAUSG offers a safe, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to the invasive temporal artery biopsy (TAB), with high specificity and reasonable sensitivity, and is incorporated into the 2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria for GCA. It emphasizes the importance for dental clinicians to recognize GCA in differential diagnosis of orofacial pain to optimize patient outcomes and prevent life-threatening complications.