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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Toward the definition of childhood migraine
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23509, USA. dlewis@chkd.com
Insights
Updated guidelines for pediatric migraine offer new diagnostic criteria and management strategies. This review covers classification, pathophysiology, and treatment options for childhood migraine.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Headache Medicine
Background:
- Pediatric migraine diagnosis and management have evolved with new research.
- Understanding the pathophysiology is key to effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update the understanding of pediatric migraine.
- Covering diagnostic criteria, classification, pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on pediatric migraine.
- Analysis of International Headache Society's revised criteria (2004).
Main Results:
- Revised criteria accommodate developmental changes in children and adolescents.
- Migraine pathophysiology involves neurochemical cascades and cortical depolarization.
- Limited role for EEG and neuroimaging in evaluation.
- Effective acute treatments include ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and sumatriptan.
- Preventive options include flunarizine, topiramate, valproate, levetiracetam, cyproheptadine, and amitriptyline.
Conclusions:
- Recent literature has significantly reshaped the definition, evaluation, and management of pediatric migraine.
Purpose Of Review:
The intent of this review is to provide an update on the current understanding of the diagnostic criteria, classification, pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of pediatric migraine.
Recent Findings:
The International Headache Society has recently revised its diagnostic criteria and classification system in the 2004 International Criteria for Headache Disorders. These new criteria have incorporated many developmentally sensitive changes that will allow broader application in children and adolescents. Appreciation of the new classification system requires understanding of current views of the pathophysiology of migraine. Migraine is now viewed as an inherited disorder with a primary neuronal initiation of a cascade of neurochemical processes culminating in a spreading wave of cortical neuronal depolarization and regional oligemia. The evaluation of a child with headache begins with a thorough medical history and complete physical and neurologic examination. One of the key questions for the bedside clinician is when to perform further diagnostic studies. Extensive review concludes that the role of further ancillary diagnostic studies, specifically EEG and neuroimaging, is limited. The management of pediatric migraine requires a balance of biobehavioral measures coupled with agents for acute treatment and, if needed, daily preventive medicines. The pharmacologic management of pediatric migraine has been subjected to thorough review, and controlled data unfortunately are limited. The most rigorously studied agents for the acute treatment of migraine are ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and sumatriptan nasal spray, all of which have shown safety and efficacy in controlled trials. For preventive or prophylactic treatment in the population of children and adolescents with frequent, disabling migraine, flunarizine (not available in the United States) is the most efficacious agent, but encouraging data are emerging regarding the use of several antiepileptic agents such as topiramate, disodium valproate, levetiracetam, the antihistamine cyproheptadine, and the antidepressant amitriptyline.
Summary:
Recent literature has reshaped the definition, evaluation, and management of pediatric migraine.
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