Epicrania Fugax: An Ultrabrief Paroxysmal Epicranial Pain

Abstract

Ten patients (one man and nine women, mean age 48.8 ± 20.1) presented with a stereotypical and undescribed type of head pain. They complained of strictly unilateral, shooting pain paroxysms starting in a focal area of the posterior parietal or temporal region and rapidly spreading forward to the ipsilateral eye ( n = 7) or nose ( n = 3) along a lineal or zigzag trajectory, the complete sequence lasting 1-10 s. Two patients had ipsilateral lacrimation, and one had rhinorrhoea at the end of the attacks. The attacks could be either spontaneous or triggered by touch on the stemming area ( n = 2), which could otherwise remain tender or slightly painful between the paroxysms ( n = 5). The frequency ranged from two attacks per month to countless attacks per day, and the temporal pattern was either remitting ( n = 5) or chronic ( n = 5). This clinical picture might be a variant of an established headache or represent a novel syndrome.