Trigeminal–autonomic headaches in daily clinical practice

Abstract

Following the revised International Headache Society criteria, a group of short-lasting headaches associated with autonomic symptoms, the so called trigeminal autonomic cephalgias, were newly recognized. The trigeminal autonomic cephalgias include cluster headache, paroxysmal hemicranias and a syndrome involving short-lasting unilateral neuralform cephalgias with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) syndrome. In all of these syndromes, the half-sided head pain and cranial autonomic symptoms are prominent. All of the trigeminal autonomic cephalgias differ in duration, frequency and rhythmicity of the attacks, the intensity of pain and autonomic symptoms, as well as treatment options. This review gives a brief clinical description of the headache disorders and recent pathophysiological findings, as well as an overview of the treatment of cluster headache, paroxysmal hemicranias and SUNCT syndrome.

Keywords::

• cluster headache
• diagnosis
• deep-brain stimulation
• paroxysmal hemicrania
• short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing
• SUNCT
• TAC
• therapy
• trigeminal-autonomic headache
• trigeminoautonomic
• triptan

Notes

SUNCT: Short-lasting unilateral neuralgic cephalgias with conjunctival injection and tearing.