Background: giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis that may af
fect the optic nerve and cause blindness (e.g. ischemic optic neuropathy).
Orbital inflammatory disease, however, is an uncommon presentation of GCA.
Purpose: to alert clinicians to the orbital presentations of GCA. Patients
and methods: a retrospective case series from tertiary care academic ophtha
lmic referral centers of four patients with orbital manifestations of giant
cell arteritis. Results: presentation of cases and review of the literatur
e. In three cases, a temporal artery biopsy was diagnostic of GCA, but in o
ne case, an orbital biopsy was needed to confirm the diagnosis Conclusion:
GCA can have orbital manifestations and clinicians should be aware of this
unusual presentation of GCA in cases of presumed orbital inflammatory pseud
otumor in the elderly.