Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jun;45(3):88-92.
doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2022.023. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Imaging in headache disorders

Jason C Ray  1   2   3   4 , Elspeth J Hutton  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Imaging in headache disorders

Jason C Ray et al. Aust Prescr. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Patients with a suspected change in intracranial pressure or a trigeminal autonomic cephalgia require MRI. The need for investigation for other headache disorders is guided by the clinical evaluation of the patient. Particular care should be taken to identify any 'red flags'. Incidental findings on MRI occur in approximately 2% of patients. Patients with migraine have an increased rate of white matter lesions, but these are of uncertain clinical significance.

Keywords: MRI; headache; migraine; trigeminal autonomic cephalgias.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: Jason Ray has received compensation from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, sponsored by Viatris for educational material. Elspeth Hutton has served on advisory boards for Sanofi-Genzyme, Novartis, Teva, Eli Lilly, Allergan, Lundbeck, been involved in clinical trials sponsored by Novartis, Teva, Xalud, Daewong and Novotech, and received payment for educational presentations from Allergan, Teva, Eli Lilly and Novartis.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diffuse subarachnoid haemorrhage on a CT scan
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CT venogram showing extensive venous thrombosis in the superior sagittal sinus
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A case of idiopathic intracranial hypertension
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Steiner TJ, Stovner LJ, Jensen R, Uluduz D, Katsarava Z, Lifting The Burden: the Global Campaign against Headache . Migraine remains second among the world’s causes of disability, and first among young women: findings from GBD2019. J Headache Pain 2020;21:137. 10.1186/s10194-020-01208-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Britt H. General practice activity in Australia 2015–16. General practice series no. 40. Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2015.
    1. Aaseth K, Grande RB, Kvaerner KJ, Gulbrandsen P, Lundqvist C, Russell MB. Prevalence of secondary chronic headaches in a population-based sample of 30-44-year-old persons. The Akershus study of chronic headache. Cephalalgia 2008;28:705-13. 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01577.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Clarke CE, Edwards J, Nicholl DJ, Sivaguru A. Imaging results in a consecutive series of 530 new patients in the Birmingham Headache Service. J Neurol 2010;257:1274-8. 10.1007/s00415-010-5506-7 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Evans RW, Burch RC, Frishberg BM, Marmura MJ, Mechtler LL, Silberstein SD, et al. Neuroimaging for migraine: the American Headache Society systematic review and evidence-based guideline. Headache 2020;60:318-36. 10.1111/head.13720 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources