title: SPECT and TCD studies in cluster headache patients.
abstract: We investigated regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with Tc99m-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound. Nineteen cluster headache patients participated in the study, 9 of them underwent both examinations, whereas in 6 patients only SPECT and in 4 patients only TCD was performed. Patients were examined during spontaneous and/or provoked attacks and when symptom-free in a cluster period. Six patients showed moderate frontal hyperperfusion, 2 had frontal hypoperfusion whereas no change from headache-free rCBF occurred in 7 patients. Statistical analysis of MCA velocities in 13 patients showed a significant decrease in the mean flow velocity compared with the headache-free values on the symptomatic side. Our findings suggest that the alteration of cerebral circulation during cluster attacks might be of secondary nature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Afra
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ertsey
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jelencsik
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dabasi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pánczél
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial