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Open Access 01-02-2010 | Rapid Communication

Paroxysmal head pain with backward radiation: will epicrania fugax go in the opposite direction?

Authors: María Luz Cuadrado, Lidia Gómez-Vicente, Jesús Porta-Etessam, María Azahara Marcos-de-Vega, Beatriz Parejo-Carbonell, Jorge Matías-Guiu

Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain | Issue 1/2010

Abstract

Epicrania fugax (EF) has been recently described as a paroxysmal head pain starting in a focal cranial area of the posterior scalp and rapidly spreading forward to the ipsilateral eye or nose along a linear or zigzag trajectory. Here we report two patients presenting with the same clinical features, except for the starting site and the direction of the pain. Unilateral pain paroxysms occurred on either side of the head, with a quick backward radiation along a linear trajectory. The pain always stemmed from a particular point located at the fronto-parietal region, and reached the parieto-occipital region in several seconds. The symptoms did not fit any of the acknowledged headaches and neuralgias, and might correspond to a reverse variant of EF.

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Title: Paroxysmal head pain with backward radiation: will epicrania fugax go in the opposite direction?
Authors: María Luz Cuadrado
Lidia Gómez-Vicente
Jesús Porta-Etessam
María Azahara Marcos-de-Vega
Beatriz Parejo-Carbonell
Jorge Matías-Guiu
Publication date: 01-02-2010
Publisher: Springer Milan
Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain / Issue 1/2010
Print ISSN: 1129-2369
Electronic ISSN: 1129-2377
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10194-009-0172-9

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