American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Practice Exam 2025 - Free ABPN Practice Questions and Study Guide

In suspected temporal arteritis, the most critical next step in management is to begin treatment with high-dose prednisone. Temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis, is an inflammatory disease that primarily affects the temporal arteries and can lead to serious complications, including permanent vision loss if not treated promptly. The condition is often associated with systemic symptoms such as headache, jaw claudication, and visual disturbances.

Initiating high-dose corticosteroid therapy, such as prednisone, is crucial because it can rapidly reduce inflammation and mitigate the risk of severe complications, particularly vision loss. This immediate intervention is essential since biopsy results can take time, and delaying treatment could be detrimental to the patient’s health.

While obtaining a temporal artery biopsy is indeed an important step in confirming the diagnosis, it should ideally be performed after the initiation of steroid treatment if temporal arteritis is strongly suspected. This is because the biopsy may yield negative results if conducted after starting corticosteroids, as the inflammation may subside even before the procedure.

Starting intravenous antibiotics or obtaining imaging studies like a magnetic resonance arteriogram are not priorities in this context, as they do not address the immediate threat posed by the condition. The urgency to initiate treatment overrides these other measures, emphasizing the importance of treating this potentially