Radiological techniques in the examination of patients with headaches

It can be said that in the majority of headache patients who have a long typical history, a negative neurologic examination, and a noncontributory general physical examination, radiologic studies will probably not give further pertinent information. Nevertheless, in a sufficient number of these patients, the noninvasive and essentially atraumatic procedures of plain skull radiography, computed tomography, and (as indicated) echoencephalography and radionuclide brain scanning will provide a considerable amount of information pertinent to the clinical problem. Hospitalization for angiography and, on occasion, pneumoencephalography or other special procedures, will then become indicated for those patients in whom an abnormality is found in these screening procedures.