Epicrania Fugax

• Published in: Current pain and headache reports Vol. 20; no. 4; p. 21
• Main Authors: Cuadrado, María Luz, Guerrero, Angel L., Pareja, Juan A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.04.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Headache; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pain; Pain Medicine; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Uncommon and/or Unusual Headaches and Syndromes; Uncommon and/or Unusual Headaches and Syndromes (J Ailani; Epicranial headaches; Epicrania fugax; Primary headaches
• ISSN: 1531-3433; 1534-3081
• DOI: 10.1007/s11916-016-0557-9

Epicrania fugax (EF) is a primary headache of recent description. EF essentially consists of brief paroxysms of pain describing a linear or zigzag trajectory across the surface of one hemicranium, commencing and terminating in the territories of different nerves. The pain of forward EF originates in a particular area of the occipital, parietal or temporal regions and moves anteriorly, whereas the pain of backward EF originates in the frontal area, the eye or the nose and moves posteriorly. Some patients have ocular or nasal autonomic accompaniments, and some have triggers. Between attacks, many patients have continuous or intermittent pain and/or tenderness at the stemming area. Pain frequency is extremely variable and some patients have spontaneous remissions. Preventive therapy is required when the paroxysms are frequent and non-remitting. Neuromodulators, indomethacin, amitryptiline, nerve anesthetic blockades, and trochlear steroid injections have been used in different cases, with partial or complete response.