Temporal Arteritis: A Report of Three Cases.

This disease, which has also been described as cranial arteritis and giant-cell arteritis, was first established as a clinical and pathological entity by Horton and others (1934), though there is evidence that single cases were described before this (Andersen, 1947). Since 1934, over seventy cases have been reported in the literature from U.S.A., Great Britain, France, and Scandinavia. These have been reviewed and analysed elsewhere in this issue (Harrison, 1948). The disease runs a characteristic clinical course, and the affected vessels have a characteristic morphology. Although the earlier recorded cases ran a completely benign course, those subsequently reported have shown that involvement of other vessels may cause blindness, cerebral damage, and even death. The three cases reported here exemplify the characteristic clinical course and morphology of the disease, and also illustrate some of its complications. Case Reports