Comparison of major types of arteritis Arteritis Affected organs Histopathology Takayasu arteritis Large vessels,[3] including aorta and arch branches[4] Histiocytes, giant cells[4] Giant cell arteritis, also often called temporal arteritis (although they differ slightly) Superficial temporal artery, other medium- and large-sized vessels,[5] e.g. those supplying the head, eyes and optic nerves Lymphocytes, macrophages, and multinucleated giant cells[5] Polyarteritis nodosa Medium-sized vessels, CNS, PNS damage, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, skeletal muscle, heart[4] Neutrophils, fibrinoid necrosis[4]