title: Arterial responses during migraine headache.
abstract: The superficial temporal artery has been thought to be the main focus of pain during migraine attacks, but its diameter has never been measured directly. The use of a new, high-resolution ultrasound machine to measure arterial size in 25 migraine patients with unilateral head pain showed that the lumen was wider on the painful than on the non-painful side during a migraine attack. The diameters of both radial arteries and the temporal artery on the non-painful side were smaller during than between attacks. The generalised vasoconstriction was not shared by the temporal artery on the affected side, which suggests a local vasodilatory response. The findings suggest that cephalic arteries may play a role in migraine pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olesen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tfelt-Hansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010173:Palpation; D011884:Radius / Q000098:blood supply; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014664:Vasodilation