Imaging by multiple modalities of patients with a carotidynia syndrome.
The purpose of this article is to familiarize readers with the clinical syndrome of carotidynia. In the past, the International Headache Society (IHS) described idiopathic carotidynia as a diagnostic entity consisting of a self-limiting neck pain syndrome and tenderness over the carotid bifurcation without structural abnormality and then recently removed it from its classification. Although the clinical criteria of carotidynia in the former classification of the IHS included the absence of structural abnormality, several publications have demonstrated associated radiological findings and have described the usefulness of radiological investigations in diagnosing this syndrome. In this paper, we report four additional cases with a carotidynia clinical syndrome (according to the former classification) and the presence of abnormal soft tissue infiltration surrounding the symptomatic carotid artery as demonstrated by multiple imaging modalities, without any other underlying cause for the carotid pain syndrome. Our findings support the hypothesis that carotidynia could be a distinct disease entity, possibly caused by inflammation.
Kosaka
Nobuyuki
N
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3, Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji- cho, Yoshida-gun, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan. nkosaka@fmsrsa.fukui-med.ac.jp
Sagoh
Tadashi
T
Uematsu
Hidemasa
H
Kimura
Hirohiko
H
Miyayama
Shiro
S
Noguchi
Masato
M
Itoh
Harumi
H
D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013577:Syndrome
D003287:Contrast Media