Broadening the clinical spectrum of giant cell arteritis: from the classic cranial to the predominantly extracranial pattern of the disease.

The large branches ofthe extracranial arteries are frequently affected in GCA. Imaging techniquesare useful to identify the presence of 'silent' GCA in people presentingwith polymyalgia rheumatica or with nonspecific manifestations. Whether thesetwo different clinical presentations of GCA constitute a continuum in theclinical spectrum of the disease or whether they may be related but aredefinitely different conditions needs to be further investigated.