Common migraine attacks preceded by focal hyperemia and parietal oligemia in the rCBF pattern

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in the dominant hemisphere with the xenon-133 injection method, using the 254 multidetector gamma camera. Two patients developed a common migraine attack during the rCBF studies. The headache was preceded by focal oligemia in the occipitoparietal region in one of the patients and in the parietocentral region in the other. Neurological examination was normal. These results indicate that the initiating cerebral hemodynamics in common migraine are, at least in particular patients, the same as in patients with classic migraine.