TY - JOUR
T1 - Assymetry of temporal artery diameters during spontaneous attacks of cluster headache
AU - Nielsen, Thue H
AU - Tfelt-Hansen, Peer
AU - Iversen, Helle K
N1 - Keywords: Adult; Cluster Headache; Female; Functional Laterality; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Temporal Arteries; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is characterized by strictly unilateral head pain associated with symptoms of cranial autonomic features. Transcranial Doppler studies showed in most studies a bilateral decreased blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is a bilateral or unilateral extracranial vasodilation during spontaneous cluster headache attacks. DESIGN AND METHODS: In 9 cluster headache patients, we investigated the luminal diameter of the superficial temporal artery with ultrasound on the headache and headache-free side during and outside cluster headache attacks. RESULTS: During cluster headache attacks, the diameter of the superficial temporal artery on the painful side was greater, 1.48 mm, than the diameter on the nonheadache site, 1.14 mm (P < .01). Outside attacks, median diameters on the 2 sides were quite comparable, 1.34 vs 1.31 mm (P = .67). CONCLUSIONS: What was observed is most likely a general pain-induced arterial vasoconstriction (confer the decrease in diameter on the pain-free side) with an unchanged superficial temporal artery on the pain side because of some vasodilator influence.
AB - BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is characterized by strictly unilateral head pain associated with symptoms of cranial autonomic features. Transcranial Doppler studies showed in most studies a bilateral decreased blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is a bilateral or unilateral extracranial vasodilation during spontaneous cluster headache attacks. DESIGN AND METHODS: In 9 cluster headache patients, we investigated the luminal diameter of the superficial temporal artery with ultrasound on the headache and headache-free side during and outside cluster headache attacks. RESULTS: During cluster headache attacks, the diameter of the superficial temporal artery on the painful side was greater, 1.48 mm, than the diameter on the nonheadache site, 1.14 mm (P < .01). Outside attacks, median diameters on the 2 sides were quite comparable, 1.34 vs 1.31 mm (P = .67). CONCLUSIONS: What was observed is most likely a general pain-induced arterial vasoconstriction (confer the decrease in diameter on the pain-free side) with an unchanged superficial temporal artery on the pain side because of some vasodilator influence.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/61349096659
U2 - 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2008.01280.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2008.01280.x
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 19178581
SN - 0017-8748
VL - 49
SP - 383
EP - 385
JO - Headache
JF - Headache
IS - 3
ER -