title: Ocular compression maneuver aborts benign cough-induced headache.
abstract: Benign cough-induced headache is a short-lasting cranial discomfort. The therapeutic role of lumbar puncture (LP) or indomethacin in benign patients with benign cough-induced headache patients is debatable. Transient ocular compression (OC) raises intraocular pressure (IOP) and can limit the impact of cough-induced choroidal venous congestion. A self-applied maneuver that instantaneously aborts cough-induced headache is described in two patients. The effect of this maneuver supports a recent hypothesis that cough-induced headache may be due to ocular choroidal venous congestion and mechanical antidromic trigeminal nerve activation. The OC maneuver has several potential complications and its self-application in benign cough-induced headache should be regarded as an experimental procedure until more data regarding its efficacy and safety become available.
authors.affiliation: Dubai Police Medical Services, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Vinod Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003371:Cough; D005123:Eye; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D012648:Self Care