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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
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[Analysis of the aetiologies of headaches in a paediatric emergency service]

A León-Díaz1, G González-Rabelino, M Alonso-Cerviño

  • 1Servicio de Neuropediatría, Departamento de Emergencia Pediátrica, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Montevideo, Uruguay. aloleon@adinet.com.uy

Revista De Neurologia
|July 31, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric headaches are common, with most cases stemming from non-cranial infections and migraines. Serious intracranial causes are rare, suggesting a rational approach to brain imaging in emergency settings.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Context:

  • Headaches are a frequent reason for pediatric healthcare visits.
  • Epidemiological profiles of pediatric headaches vary across different healthcare settings.
  • Understanding headache causes in emergency departments is crucial for appropriate management.

Purpose:

  • To analyze the various causes of headaches in children presenting to a pediatric emergency service.
  • To classify headache etiologies using International Headache Society criteria.
  • To evaluate the frequency of serious versus non-serious headache causes in this population.

Summary:

  • A retrospective analysis of 185 pediatric headache cases was conducted over six months.
  • The most common causes identified were non-cranial infections (43.1%), migraines (14.6%), and tension-type headaches (9.2%).
  • Serious causes, including central nervous system infections and tumors, accounted for 4.9%, with a notable low rate of diagnosed viral meningitis.

Impact:

  • The study highlights a predominance of extracranial disorders and a low incidence of severe intracranial pathologies in pediatric emergency headaches.
  • Findings suggest a potentially underdiagnosed rate of viral meningitis.
  • The study demonstrates a rational and low utilization of brain imaging (9.7%) in pediatric emergency headache evaluations.
Abstract

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