The giant cell arteritides, temporal arteritis and Takayasu’s arteritis, are granulomatous vasculitides affecting medium and large-sized arteries. Temporal arteritis is a systemic panarteritis affecting the elderly, with greater than 95% of patients being over 50 years of age, although a few case reports in young adults and adolescents exist. The etiology is unknown, but evidence suggests an autoimmune phenomenon. Generalized constitutional symptoms usually precede diagnosis, and the symptom complex is often consistent with polymyalgia rheumatica, thus raising the prospect of a relationship between the two entities. The hallmark of diagnosis is an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a positive arterial biopsy. Involvement of the subclavian-axillary arterial segment may produce ischemic symptoms of the upper extremities, and carotid and retinal artery involvement may lead to blindness. Prompt steroid therapy may resolve both the anatomic and clinical pictures. Takayasu’s arteritis produces stenosis and aneurysms of medium and large arteries of the aortic arch, abdominal aorta, their branches or a combination in young women. Its etiology, like that of temporal arteritis, is unknown, although an autoimmune-mediated etiology is a distinct possibility in Takayasu’s arteritis, also. There is an acute and chronic phase of the disease. During the acute inflammatory phase, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is elevated, and this phase may last months to years. Reduced or absent pulses, presence of bruits