Headaches and pineal cyst: a case-control study.
BACKGROUND
Pineal cysts have been suggested to be linked to headache pathogenesis. However, no systematic studies on this topic have been performed so far.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pineal cysts and headache and to determine the relevance of the cyst size in this context.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study of patients who consulted the neurological department between 1999 and 2006 to investigate the relationship between pineal cysts and headache and to determine the relevance of the cyst size.


RESULTS
A total of 51 patients with pineal cyst were identified, thereby 51% were suffering from headache (half of them had migraine), whereas in the control group, only 25% had headache (thereof 31% suffered from migraine). There was a significant relationship between headache (as well as migraine) and pineal cysts (chi-square test), but no significant difference in pineal cyst diameter between the patient group with headache versus without headache (t-test).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data provide evidence for a causal relationship between pineal cysts and headache, respectively, migraine in this patient cohort.
Seifert
Christian L
CL
Technische Universitaet Muenchen-Neurologische Klinik, Munich, Germany.
Woeller
Andreas
A
Valet
Michael
M
Zimmer
Claus
C
Berthele
Achim
A
Tölle
Thomas
T
Sprenger
Till
T
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003560:Cysts / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000473:pathology*