Premium
Basilar Artery Migraine: Transcranial Doppler EEG and SPECT From the Aura Phase to the End
Author(s) -
Spina I. La,
Vignati A.,
Porazzi D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1046/j.1526-4610.1997.3701043.x
Subject(s) - transcranial doppler , migraine with aura , posterior cerebral artery , medicine , single photon emission computed tomography , cerebral blood flow , electroencephalography , aura , basilar artery , magnetic resonance imaging , cerebral arteries , migraine , radiology , cardiology , anesthesia , middle cerebral artery , ischemia , psychiatry
Transcranial Doppler, electroencephalography, and single photon emission computed tomography were performed in a case of basilar migraine during the different phases of the attack. In the aura phase, the patient had bilateral blindness and ataxia. Doppler ultrasound studies showed a reduction in the mean flow velocity of the posterior cerebral arteries, electroencephalography showed slow activity confined to the posterior regions, and single photon emission computed tomography, an area of hypoperfusion in the right parietal and occipital regions. During the headache phase, when the neurological examination was normal, transcranial Doppler showed an increase in the mean flow velocity of both posterior cerebral arteries and the electroencephalogram revealed an increase: in the slow activity over the occipital regions. When the pain subsided, the electroencephalogram showed a progressive reduction of the slow abnormalities and transcranial Doppler was reported as normal. After a week, single photon emission computed tomography and cranial magnetic resonance imaging were normal. After a month, a follow‐up electroencephalogram was also normal. All these findings indicated a transient focal reduction of cerebral blood flow during the aura phase.