Granulomatous arteritis.

Granulomatous, or temporal, arteritis is a disease of older people and should be considered when any patient over 55 years old has complaints consistent with a multi-system disease and/or visual loss, especially if combined with a history of diplopia, amaurosis fugax, loss of vision, or with the findings of ischemic optic neuritis or central retinal artery occlusion. Treatment should be instituted immediately with high doses of corticosteroids. The sine qua non for the diagnosis is a positive temporal artery biopsy when ocular involvement is a feature of the disease. Treatment includes administration of systemic and retrobulbar steroids. The ESR is used as a guide in determining the level of maintenance steroid dosage.