Small bowel infarction in association with giant cell arteritis

[Mesenteric artery involvement in giant cell arteritis: two cases and literature review]

INTRODUCTION

Mesenteric involvement has been rarely reported in giant cell arteritis (GCA). Our literature search using the Medline database (1966-2008), reviewing all articles in English and French languages identified only 31 cases of mesenteric ischemia related to GCA. We report two additional cases.

CASE REPORTS

We report two men with GCA. At diagnosis of GCA-associated mesenteric involvement, patients exhibited: fever/fatigue (n=2), abdominal complaints (n=1), clinical signs of GCA (n=1). In both patients, abdominal CT-scan showed circumferential halo around the superior mesenteric artery. At systematic follow-up, CT-scan revealed improvement of mesenteric damage in both patients.

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates that CT-scan is a useful technique in diagnosis of GCA-associated mesenteric involvement. Furthermore, we suggest that CT-scan may also be helpful in both the monitoring and the medical management of GCA-related mesenteric artery involvement.

Mesenteric involvement in giant cell arteritis. An underrecognized complication? Analysis of a case series with clinicoanatomic correlation

We reviewed the clinical manifestations of mesenteric vasculitis due to giant cell arteritis (GCA) and considered features of the mesenteric anatomy in relationship to disease expression. We compiled and reviewed a case series by systematic identification of patients previously reported in the English-language literature to have mesenteric involvement from known GCA. Included in the analysis was a detailed case review of a patient with GCA and small bowel infarction seen at our institution. Twelve patients were identified with mesenteric ischemia attributed to GCA. Concomitant cranial and abdominal symptoms were present in 7 of the 12 patients, and cranial symptoms were absent in 5 patients who presented with abdominal complaints. The abdominal symptoms fell within a spectrum ranging from chronic postprandial symptoms to acute abdominal pain. Survival was observed in only 6 of the 12 cases, 3 of whom required bowel resection and were treated with high-dose corticosteroids. Review of the anatomic features of the specialized splanchnic circulation reveals an extensive collateral network that may protect against early disease expression from ischemia, despite mesenteric arteritic involvement. Mesenteric vasculitis resulting in small bowel infarction has only rarely been described in GCA but represents a serious and potentially treatable complication. We propose an explanation, based on mesenteric vascular anatomy, for the infrequency of symptomatic expression of this entity and suggest that occult mesenteric GCA may be present far more often than recognized.

Giant cell arteritis presenting as small bowel infarction

Giant cell arteritis predominantly affects cranial arteries and rarely involves other sites. We report a patient who presented with small bowel obstruction because of infarction from mesenteric giant cell arteritis. She had an unusual cause of her obstruction and a rare manifestation of giant cell arteritis. In spite of aggressive therapy with steroids, she died a month later because of multiple complications. We discuss the diagnosis and management of small bowel obstruction and differential diagnosis of vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract. We were able to find 11 cases of bowel involvement with giant cell arteritis in the English literature. This case report illustrates that giant cell arteritis can be a cause of small bowel obstruction and bowel infarction. In the proper clinical setting, vasculitides need to be considered early in the differential diagnosis when therapy may be most effective.

Subtotal tongue necrosis in delayed diagnosed giant-cell arteritis: a case report

Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) is a chronic systemic vasculitis of large- and medium-sized vessels, mainly affecting elderly patients. Headache, vision impairment, jaw claudication, and scalp tenderness are common symptoms. However, diagnosis can be difficult because GCA can affect almost every vascular pathway and lead to a variety of possible manifestations. We report the case of a belated diagnosed GCA, resulting in nearly complete necrosis of the mobile part of the tongue, visual impairment, and neurologic as well as intestinal ischemic symptoms. Aggressive immunosuppressive treatment resolved the symptoms, but the patient remained severely morbid because of bilateral necrosis of the mobile part of the tongue. In any case of unclear ischemic symptoms in an elderly patient, one must keep GCA in mind as the possible culprit disease.

Recent advances in temporal arteritis

Temporal arteritis was first described in the late nineteenth century. Despite considerable progress in understanding the disease, its rarity in the young and in those who are not of Scandinavian ethnicity remains unexplained. Microbiologic agents and immunologic mechanisms have been implicated as causative factors. Although steroids remain the drug of choice, the use of other immunologic therapies has been proposed. This paper reviews the disease's history, probable etiologies, clinical manifestations, and its diagnostic and treatment challenges.

Vasculitis by organ systems

Systemic vasculitides, hitherto thought to be a rare clinical entity, are now rarely considered to be an uncommon disorder and patients are often seen between several departments, suffering from a non-infectious systemic disease with multi-organ involvement. Systemic vasculitis not only poses a major management problem but also has a significant impact on healthcare resources. The clinical outcome of a vasculitic illness depends on a number of factors, such as aetiology of the vasculitic process, site, size and number of blood vessels affected, duration and severity of the disease and also the complications associated with the disease or its therapy.