Bilateral percutaneous balloon angioplasty of the axillary arteries in a patient with giant cell arteritis and upper extremity ischemic symptoms not responsive to corticosteroids.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is well known to present with protean manifestations. We describe a 68-year-old woman with persistent upper extremity ischemic symptoms despite adequate treatment for GCA. She underwent successful balloon angioplasty of bilateral axillary artery stenosis. To our knowledge this is the first case utilizing this technique in GCA. Our case highlights the rare but important circumstances under which interventional techniques both surgical and nonsurgical need to be considered in cases of GCA with arterial occlusion not responsive to corticosteroid therapy.