Migraine, "carotidynia," or pulsatile tinnitus......................................................................................Excessive carotid artery, vertebral artery, and vertebrobasilar junction tortuosity. ........................................................................................................Factors more prevalent in group A patients included migraine, chronic daily headache, carotidynia, pulsatile tinnitus, and a positive family history of headache. Factors more prevalent in group B patients included a positive family history of stroke, large-vessel atherosclerosis, and scan evidence of ischemic infarctions; many group B patients had undergone MRA for stroke or transient ischemic attack evaluation.

Tortuosity of carotid and vertebral arteries: a magnetic resonance angiographic study.:

Authors: Pelaez JM, Levine RL, Hafeez F, Dulli DA

Abstract

Nine patients (group A) were found on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to have excessive carotid artery, vertebral artery, and vertebrobasilar junction tortuosity. A control group (group B) were age- and sex-matched to group A patients, were selected randomly from our MRA or stroke data banks, and had not undergone MRA for evaluation of migraine, "carotidynia," or pulsatile tinnitus. Factors more prevalent in group A patients included migraine, chronic daily headache, carotidynia, pulsatile tinnitus, and a positive family history of headache. Factors more prevalent in group B patients included a positive family history of stroke, large-vessel atherosclerosis, and scan evidence of ischemic infarctions; many group B patients had undergone MRA for stroke or transient ischemic attack evaluation. Men were slightly underrepresented at 44%, and were younger than women (34 +/- 6 years vs. 43 +/- 3 years; p = 0.01). Relationships in this preliminary study between arterial tortuosity and migraine seem evident.

PMID: 9780856 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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