[Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. Description of 5 clinical cases and nosographic considerations]

Recently Sjaastad and Dale (1974), 1976) have described a new type of headache, introducing the term "Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania". The name of the disease, that commonly even though equivocally is translated into Italian as "Emicrania parossistica cronica", summarizes its principal features: it occurs with daily attacks for consecutive years; it is marked by painful paroxysms; it is consistently one-sided. Another characteristic of the disease is quick relief after treatment with indomethacin. So far only 60 cases of this rare type of headache have been reported in the literature. The Authors discuss its clinical features, its etiopathogenesis and its place within the cluster-headache category. They finally report five cases (four women and one man).