Bilateral SUNCT syndrome associated to chronic maxillary sinus disease

SUNCT syndrome (short lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing) is defined as short attacks of periorbital unilateral pain and accompanied by ipsilateral lacrimation and redness of the same eye. We present an unusual SUNCT case with bilateral pain that started five years ago after an acute maxillary sinus infection that evolved to chronic sinusitis. This association has been described in few SUNCT cases, but its causal role remains uncertain. The patient was a 58 year old man that fulfilled a headache diary that showed the usual circadian pattern, worsening in the morning and afternoon, and responded to treatment with gabapentine. He was submitted to a functional endoscopic sinus surgery and evolved with milder pain. In a review of 21 patients, 5 had a past medical history of sinusitis, but the causal role of this association remained uncertain.