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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
[Migraine and symptomatic headache in children]
C Menache Starobinski1, C A Haenggeli
1Hôpital des Enfants, Genève. caroline.menache@hcuge.ch
Insights
Pediatric migraine presents differently than adult migraine, often diagnosed through symptoms and a normal neurological exam. Various treatments exist, but secondary headaches require careful exclusion, especially in children with shunts.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Headache Medicine
Context:
- Pediatric migraine exhibits distinct characteristics compared to adult migraine, including variations in pain duration, location, and quality.
- A thorough clinical evaluation, including detailed symptom description and a normal neurological examination, is often sufficient to exclude secondary headaches in children.
- Various pharmacological interventions are available for both symptomatic and prophylactic management of pediatric migraine.
Purpose:
- To differentiate pediatric migraine from adult migraine.
- To outline diagnostic approaches for pediatric headaches, emphasizing the importance of clinical assessment.
- To review treatment strategies for pediatric migraine and associated headache conditions.
Summary:
- Pediatric migraine differs from adult migraine in pain characteristics and duration.
- Clinical assessment is key to diagnosing pediatric migraine and ruling out serious secondary causes.
- Effective symptomatic and prophylactic treatments are available, but specific conditions like shunt dysfunction require vigilance.
Impact:
- Highlights the unique presentation of migraine in children, aiding accurate diagnosis.
- Emphasizes the role of clinical evaluation in pediatric headache management.
- Informs treatment decisions for pediatric migraine and underscores the need to exclude critical secondary causes.
Abstract:
Pediatric migraine differs from adult migraine especially in regards to duration, localisation and quality of pain. A detailed description of the symptoms with a normal neurological examination allows in most cases to rule out secondary headaches without other exams. Many different medications are used for symptomatic or prophylactic treatment with success. Symptomatic headaches should be suspected if there is any abnormality in history or neurological exam. Headaches due to arterial hypertension, ENT problems or maxillofacial causes should not be forgotten. Intracranial hypertension should be excluded especially in children with ventriculo-peritoneal shunt, since shunt dysfunction can be fatal. Post traumatic headache can be impressive but have a good prognosis.
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