The Editors welcome topical correspondence from readers relating to articles published in the Journal. Responses should be sent electronically via the BJS website (www.bjs.co.uk). All letters will be reviewed and, if approved, appear on the website. A selection of these will be edited and published in the Journal. Letters must be no more than 250 words in length.
Importance of specimen length during temporal artery biopsy (Br J Surg 2011; 98: 1556-1560)
SirWe read with great interest the article by Ypsilantis and colleagues, raising the question of optimum temporal artery biopsy (TAB) length. This is a large cohort yet the positive rate remains only 21 per cent. Allison et al. 1 and others have also demonstrated an average biopsy length of 0·7 cm, with higher positive rates. However, Achkar and colleagues 2 reviewed 535 patients with an average biopsy length of 3·6 cm and obtained a positive rate of 33 per cent; thus there continues to remain great heterogeneity in findings, possibly due to skip lesions, length of biopsy, previous steroid treatment and atypical presentation.Our own experience is of a low positive rate, with similar TAB lengths and with more junior surgeons taking longer biopsies. As surgical technique influences specimen length, have the authors investigated this variable?Finally, should we be doing TAB at all? It has been suggested that TAB makes little difference to treatment and is not without risks 3,4 . Is it not purely academic, given that a score of at least 3 on the American College of Rheumatology criteria is very accurate (sensitivity 93·5 per cent and specificity 91·2 per cent) 5 and, irrespective of TAB result, these patients will receive the same treatment?