Posted , 11 users are following.
HI ALL
I have just been diagnosed with GCA
and require a temple biopsy. i have started on a 60mg of predisone and appears to be working. i cant see the pint in having the biopsy as there are some risks attached and not all are positive. are there any other reasons
or is it just for confirmation only
0 likes, 9 replies
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ina0821 philip81201
Posted
i say if doing the biopy isnt going to change the treatment in anyway based on the risks, id be very hesitant
Mrs_Hobbles philip81201
Posted
I'd say, from experience, there's no point... whatsoever!! It's awfully invasive and a negative doesn't mean a negative, so I'm on the side of, what's the point! When I asked that question, they couldn't give a straight answer but I was so scared by what had happened to me that I went ahead with it, so sorry I did. I was later told that a scan could've been done so maybe enquire about that and even if not available I'd still be saying no to be honest! Best of luck, let us know how you fare!
rapha philip81201
Posted
I had a biopsy 5 years ago and it was fine. I wasn't told of any risks. The hospital at the time did not have a scanner but of course I would have preferred that! You could ask to go to a different hospital that does have a scanner. All the best.
krillemy rapha
Posted
Hi, what scanner are you talking about?
EileenH krillemy
Posted
Probably the ultrasound technique that has been shown to be as good as TAB, probably better. However, it requires trained personnel to do the ultrasound scan - it isn't a scanner in the usual sense, it is one of many ultrasound techniques, like for pregnancy and the like.
ptolemy philip81201
Posted
If you have been on pred for a while the biopsy is highly likely to be negative. As you say what's the point?
Anhaga philip81201
Posted
As treatment isn't changed by the result it's probably safe to say no. But the main advantage of receiving a positive result is in the future no doctor can start waffling and backpedaling on the diagnosis, because it's clearly GCA.
catherine34621 philip81201
Posted
Hi, I had one in 2015 and it was judged "unspecific". I was already on 40mgs. Pred and had been for a month so I knew what to expect. When I was eventually diagnosed in 2017 I got a letter from the surgeon to say there was evidence after consulting with another specialist, that suggested it was GCA. It was a simple procedure, and didn't take long.
EileenH philip81201
Posted
It can't be for confirmation as a negative biopsy only means they didn't find what they were looking for. A positive means it is a certain diagnosis but on another forum someone with a positive biopsy is being told it isn't GCA as she isn't responding to 60mg of pred as expected. Never mind some people need 80 or even 100mg/day at first.
It will also depend on how long you have been on 60mg pred before it is done. Only about half of biopsies (or less) come out positive but the patients are often treated as having GCA on the basis of the symptoms. Every week of high dose pred reduces the likelihood of a positive result by 10%. That is the question to ask - if it won't alter their treatment, why do it?
Someone mentions "a scanner" - I have no idea what scanner they mean but there is the option of ultrasound. which is equivalent to biopsy in accuracy. The trouble is, it is not widely available.