title: Transient stabbing headache from an acute thalamic hemorrhage.
abstract: Stabbing headache can be encountered in both primary and secondary forms, but has been infrequently reported among patients with stroke, and is not known to be associated with a small well-circumscribed brain lesion. A 95-year-old woman taking warfarin presented with the sudden onset of stabbing headache strictly in the right frontal and supraorbital regions, along with gait imbalance and dysarthria. Neuroimaging revealed a small left thalamic hematoma. This association of an acute thalamic lesion with stabbing headache in the contralateral trigeminal distribution is discussed, along with a brief review of stabbing headache occurring in cerebrovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Montefiore Headache Center, The Saul R. Korey . marobbin@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Robbins
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D051270:Headache Disorders, Primary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006406:Hematoma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013788:Thalamus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014859:Warfarin / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin