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Diagnostic testing for chronic daily headache.

AbstractPrimary chronic headaches of long duration include chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache, and hemicrania continua. This article reviews the utility of neuroimaging and other testing for diagnosis of these headaches. The presentation and diagnosis of the many secondary headaches that can mimic primary headache types are also discussed, including arteriovenous malformations, spontaneous intracranial hypotension, neoplasms, pseudotumor cerebri, cervical artery dissections, cerebral venous thrombosis, Chiari I malformation, and temporal arteritis. Although the yield of diagnostic testing is low, serious pathology as a cause of chronic headaches can be easily overlooked.
AuthorsRandolph W Evans (Affiliation: rwevans at pol.net)
JournalCurrent pain and headache reports (Curr Pain Headache Rep) Vol. 11 Issue 1 Pg. 47-52 (Feb 2007) ISSN: 1531-3433 United States
PMID17214921 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
Topics
  • Chronic Disease
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Headache (diagnosis, radiography)
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Migraine Disorders (diagnosis, radiography)
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed