Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory cranial and/or extracranial vasculitis. Although cranial GCA is widely recognized, extracranial GCA is underdiagnosed because of its nonspecific and atypical presentations. We report a case of asymptomatic extracranial GCA with ascending thoracic aortopathy discovered incidentally during surgical mitral valve repair. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Keywords: CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; GCA, giant cell arteritis; MR, mitral valve regurgitation; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PET-FDG, positron emission tomography–fluorodeoxyglucose; aortic aneurysm; aortopathy; giant cell arteritis; inflammatory marker; mitral valve prolapse; positron emission tomography; thoracic ascending aorta; vasculitis.