Images in cardiovascular medicine: Detection of giant cell aortitis using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography.

A 60-year-old woman was seen at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine at Spaarne Hospital, Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. Her previous medical history showed a temporal arteriitis in 2001. At that time, biopsies were negative, and the diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment with prednisolone resolved her complaints. The prednisolone was slowly tapered to zero. After a disease-free period of 7 years, she visited the outpatient clinic because of pain in the shoulders and upper back region, being suspicious of a relapse. She did not have a fever, nor did she have headaches. For medication, she used a thiazide diuretic for mild high blood pressure and desloratadine for allergic complaints. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities. Lab results showed an initial erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 22 mm/h initially, reaching 53 mm/h maximum, a C-reactive protein of 122 mg/L, and a normal white blood