A Transcranial Doppler study in interictal migraine and tension-type headache

Purpose. To use transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography to determine if patients with migraine without aura have interictal hemodynamic abnormalities compared with patients who have episodic tension-type headache (TH). Methods. Thirty-six migraine. patients without aura and 51 TH patients (age range, 16-50 years) who were diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Headache Society 1988 participated. in the study. Forty-four healthy volunteers, matched for age and sex, formed the control group. Time-averaged mean velocity (TAMV), pulsatility index (PI), and breath-holding index (BHI) were measured Via TCD sonography in the middle cerebral artery. Results. TAMV was higher in migraine without aura than in episodic TH (p = 0.034). There were no differences between groups regarding PI or BHI. Conclusion. Our findings support the arteriolar vasodilatation theory in migraine without aura. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.