Thromboangiitis Obliterans with eosinophilia (Buerger's disease) of the temporal arteries

Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease) is a nonatherosclerotic, inflammatory, occlusive vascular disease occurring almost exclusively in young male smokers. It involves principally medium sized and small arteries and veins of the lower and upper extremities, and only rarely the visceral and cerebral blood vessels. Buerger's disease of the temporal arteries, unassociated with the involvement of blood vessels of either the upper or lower extremities has not been previously reported. Three such cases, clinically mimicking the classic (giant cell) temporal arteritis of the elderly, are described. This unusual arterial lesion also bears some resemblance to subcutaneous angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (Kimura's disease).