Carotid arteries and GCA

[prunus]

Tomorrow I have to go for a scan on my carotid arteries. Can they be affected by GCA?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

They can be but a carotid scan is usually to rule out stenosis (narrowing) and uses doppler ultrasound to look at blood flow in the artery. As far as I know that isn't the same as the sort of u/s used to diagnose GCA in the temporal artery.

[pmrkitty in reply to PMRpro]

academic.oup.com/rheumatolo.... This is an artical I found on Rheumatology. Hope it's correct, it is non invasive.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to pmrkitty]

My point is that they are looking for something different. One of the problems in using u/s instead of a TAB is that only a limited number of people have been trained to do the TA u/s and so the technique isn't widely available. Carotid scanning is widely available and done daily on patients with signs of carotid blockage. If they were the same, the TA scanning would also be widely available.

[pmrkitty in reply to PMRpro]

Hopefully it will happen soon...thank you PMRpro. 💞

[Telian in reply to PMRpro]

Good point- I’ve been practiced on by trainee doctors, learning u/s for GCA, and it wasn’t easy for them. My Rheumy provides training. I’m led to believe it can take up to six months to fully train them.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Telian]

It takes months for experienced u/s technologists to learn a new technique - most doctors have never done any so are at the same level as brand new technologists and yes, it is said 6 months. And my colleagues used to say that they could feel they weren't as on the ball even after a 2 week holiday. Unless you do it every day, the skill falls away very quickly.

[prunus in reply to PMRpro]

I took the opportunity to speak to the u/s technologist about scans in relation to diagnoses of GCA. I said more was being done for them to replace biopses and were saving sight and were cost effective. He said he would look into the matter. I hope I have sown a seed.

[prunus in reply to pmrkitty]

Many thanks. Have started to read but not read it all yet.

[prunus in reply to PMRpro]

Many thanks for that.