Forehead necrosis, one of the many facades of giant cell arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is known to be a potentially blinding condition. Swift diagnosis can aid in preventing permanent visual loss and, more importantly, protect the contralateral eye. Classical symptoms include jaw claudication, myalgia and new-onset headache. We present two cases of GCA with scalp necrosis, a rare feature associated with this condition. In the first case, forehead necrosis preceded the visual symptoms by 2 days. In the second case it was noted a few weeks after the patient presented with profound unilateral loss of vision. Scalp necrosis is an important sign that should prompt those approached by these patients to consider GCA. 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.