Giant Cell Arteritis Causing Bilateral Sequential Anterior Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy - A Case Report

KY Goh, TH Lim
Correspondence: Dr K Y Goh

ABSTRACT
Giant cell arteritis is a chronic granulomatous inflammation of unknown aetiology involving large and medium size arteries in the elderly. It causes acute visual loss from ischaemia to the optic nerves or central retinal artery occlusion. This is a rare cause of anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy in our local population. We present a patient who had bilateral loss of vision from sequential arteritic ischaemic optic neuropathy. She was treated with intravenous steroids immediately. Diagnosis was based on histopathological studies of temporal artery biopsies.

Keywords: arteritic ischaemic optic neuropathy, biopsy, giant cell arteritis, intravenous steroid, temporal artery
Singapore Med J 2000; 41(1): 32-33