The ultrastructural features and it's significance of the skip area with giant cell arteritis / 临床神经病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the ultrastructural features and it's significance of the skip area with giant cell arteritis(GCA).Methods 20 GCA patients and 7 non-GCA patients underwent temporal artery biopsies. The sections were stained with HE and methylene blue(MB) for light microscopy(LM), doubly stained with uranyl acetate and lead curate for electron microscopy (EM). 20 GCA patients were divided into skip area GCA group(14 cases) and active inflammatory cell infiltration GCA group(6 cases) according to the definition of skip area or skip lesion. The ultrastructural changes of each group were observed by EM and assessed by using 4 grades from 0 to 3 scores.Results The scores of ultrastructural changes were as follows the skip area GCA group, 0 in 1 patient, 2 to 6 in 9 patients, and 8 to 9 in 4 patients; the active inflammatory cell infiltration GCA group, 7 to 15 in 6 patients; the non-GCA group, 0 to 1 in 6 patients, and 5 in 1 patient. The scores of the three groups were tested by H check, the difference was evidently significant( P0.05) in comparison with active inflammatory cell infiltration GCA group.Conclusions At electron microscopic level, the skip area of temporal artery biopsy with GCA showed obvious pathological changes, especially in the intima of artery. The results suggest that the investigation of ultrastructure features of the skip areas of temporal artery with GCA may be benefit for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.