ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 2421

Optic Nerve Sheath Measurement on Ultrasound: A Novel Diagnostic Test for Giant Cell Arteritis

Hussein Baalbaki1, David Dube1, Carolyn Ross2, Stephanie Ducharme-Benard3, Samer Hussein4, Rosalie-Selene Meunier4, Christian Pagnoux5 and Jean-Paul Makhzoum2, 1Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, 2Vasculitis Clinic, Canadian Network for Research on Vasculitides, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, 3Vasculitis Clinic, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, 4Vasculitis Clinic, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, 5Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2023

Keywords: giant cell arteritis, Vasculitis

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Title: (2387–2424) Vasculitis – Non-ANCA-Associated & Related Disorders Poster III

Session Type: Poster Session C

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Confirming the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) remains challenging. Available diagnostic tests have limited accuracy and availability. Recently, optic nerve sheath enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging has been reported in patients with GCA. Whether this finding can be documented on ultrasound is unknown. Optic nerve (ON) ultrasound is non-invasive, easy to learn and does not require sophisticated equipment. This study aims to investigate if ON sheath measurement on ultrasound may be used to identify patients with active, new-onset GCA.

Methods: A cross sectional study was performed in our GCA Fast-Track clinic from June to December 2022. Adult patients were included if: (1) they were referred for suspected new-onset GCA, (2) had received < 14 days of glucocorticoids, and (3) had no prior history of intracranial hypertension, retinal disorder, or demyelinating disease. Study procedures were completed during the same visit: clinical assessment, bloodwork, ultrasound of temporal/axillary arteries and of the ON. Ultrasound measurements were performed for both eyes, 3mm distal to the posterior aspect of the ocular globe. Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD, includes ON and its sheath) and optic nerve diameter (OND) were measured. Optic nerve sheath thickness (ONST) was obtained by subtracting OND from ONSD (Figure 1). Final diagnosis of GCA was confirmed clinically after 6-month follow-up. Independent sample t-test was used to compare mean differences in ONSD, OND and ONST in patients with and without GCA at baseline. Paired-sample t-test was used to compare measurements between both eyes. Multivariable analysis was conducted for clinical baseline characteristics and ON ultrasound measurements. A significance level of 0.05 with Bonferroni correction (n=6) for multiple comparisons was used.

Results: A total of 30 participants were enrolled, including 9 participants with a final diagnosis of GCA (all of whom also satisfied 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria (Table 1)). Patients with GCA had a higher mean ONSD (5.98mm) compared to those without GCA (4.02mm); with a mean difference of 1.96mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–2.82, p< 0.001). Mean ONST was higher in patients with GCA (3.01mm) than those without GCA (1.54mm), with a mean difference of 1.46mm (95%CI: 0.85–2.07, p< 0.001). Mean OND was numerically but not statistically higher in patients with GCA (Table 2). Paired measurement comparisons of ONSD, OND, ONST did not differ between the right and left eyes. On multivariable analysis, there was no significant association between age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and ONSD, OND, ONST ultrasound measurements.

Conclusion: Patients with GCA had significantly wider optic nerve sheaths on ultrasound than patients without GCA. ON ultrasound may represent a novel, rapid, bedside diagnostic test in GCA. A large prospective cohort study is ongoing to confirm these findings and evaluate if ONSD-ONST are dynamic disease markers in GCA (ClinicalTrials.gov id: NCT05749094).

Supporting image 1

Supporting image 2

Supporting image 3


Disclosures: H. Baalbaki: None; D. Dube: None; C. Ross: None; S. Ducharme-Benard: None; S. Hussein: None; R. Meunier: None; C. Pagnoux: AstraZeneca, 1, 2, 6, GlaxoSmithKlein(GSK), 1, 6, Otsuka, 1, 2, 5, 6, Pfizer, 5, Roche, 2; J. Makhzoum: None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Baalbaki H, Dube D, Ross C, Ducharme-Benard S, Hussein S, Meunier R, Pagnoux C, Makhzoum J. Optic Nerve Sheath Measurement on Ultrasound: A Novel Diagnostic Test for Giant Cell Arteritis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023; 75 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/optic-nerve-sheath-measurement-on-ultrasound-a-novel-diagnostic-test-for-giant-cell-arteritis/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to ACR Convergence 2023

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/optic-nerve-sheath-measurement-on-ultrasound-a-novel-diagnostic-test-for-giant-cell-arteritis/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology