Atypical Nummular Headache or Circumscribed Migraine: The Utility of Pressure Algometry

A peripheral mechanism has been proposed for nummular headache; however, there have been descriptions of atypical features resembling migraine. The authors describe a case in which algometry assessment facilitated the discrimination between atypical nummular headache and circumscribed migraine. A 21...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Johanna Barón, Cristina Rodríguez, Marina Ruiz, María Isabel Pedraza, Ángel Luis Guerrero, Pascal Madeleine, María Luz Cuadrado, César Fernández-de-las-Peñas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:Pain Research and Management
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/567072
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Summary:A peripheral mechanism has been proposed for nummular headache; however, there have been descriptions of atypical features resembling migraine. The authors describe a case in which algometry assessment facilitated the discrimination between atypical nummular headache and circumscribed migraine. A 21-year-old woman presented with a history of focal episodic pain in a circumscribed area on the left frontal region. The algometry study showed a unilateral and diffuse decrease of the pain pressure thresholds with frontal predominance, as has been proposed for migraine patients. This result led the authors to introduce a more specific preventive therapy with topiramate, with significant relief. In conclusion, cartographic investigation of pressure pain sensitivity is a simple tool that can help to differentiate between nummular headache and migraine. Further confirmatory investigations are needed.
ISSN:1203-6765