title: Improvement of chronic headache after treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to determine the incidence, character, and outcome of headache in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms who had been treated to avoid the risk of rupture.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  There are a variety of clinical manifestations associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Among them, chronic headache is the most common presenting and/or accompanying symptom.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among the 137 patients with unruptured aneurysms who had been treated, we collected 81 patients excluding 30 on the basis of inclusion criteria. Twenty-six patients were lost to follow-up. We collected data by medical record review and a telephone survey. Included in the information collected was the analysis of presenting symptom, location and size of each aneurysm, location, quality, intensity and duration of headaches, associated symptoms, triggering and alleviating factors, and precipitating events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-nine patients (60.5%) of 81 had chronic headaches before the diagnosis of unruptured intracranial aneurysm. Forty-four patients (89.8%) answered that their headaches were improved slightly (12 patients) or markedly (32 patients) (P <.05). The clinical pattern of the headache worsened in only 1 patient and did not change in 4 patients. When the surgical group (40 patients) and the coil embolization group (41 patients) were compared, there was no significant difference observed in outcome (P >.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Either by employing the technique of clipping or by coil embolization, treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms resulted in relief of headaches in majority of patients who had headaches pre-operatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Doo-Sik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Seung-Chyul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Young-Jo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jong Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome