Frequency of Abnormal Neurological Examinations in a Subspecialty Headache Clinic: A Retrospective Chart Review

Identify the frequency of abnormal neurological examinations among patients presenting in person for headache consultation. Determine what proportion of patients with abnormal examinations have accompanying red flags in their histories and/or undergo diagnostic workup.

We conducted a retrospective review of patients presenting in person for headache consultation at a tertiary/quaternary headache clinic between June 2022 and May 2023. We excluded examination abnormalities consistent with known comorbidity, functional neurological disorder, and/or non-headache disease. We then calculated the proportion of patients with an abnormal neurological examination. For patients with abnormal examinations, the electronic medical record was further reviewed for red-flag components in the history, diagnostic workup ordered, and the resulting diagnosis.

Of 1281 patients presenting for in-person headache consultation, 218 (17%) had abnormal neurological examinations that were not consistent with known comorbidity, functional neurological disorder, or non-headache disease. Of these, 203 (93%) had a red flag in their history. The remaining 15 patients with abnormal examinations and no historical red flags comprised 1.2% of all 1281 patients. Regarding workup, 160 (73%) had neuro-imaging and 61 (28%) had laboratory studies ordered and/or requested for review, of which 13% and 8% were concerning for pathology, respectively.

A small but notable proportion of patients presenting for in-person headache consultation had abnormalities on neurological examination. The majority of these patients received imaging, with a diagnostic yield higher than previously reported. However, the vast majority of patients with abnormal examinations also had red flags in their history to prompt diagnostic workup.