Migraine in childhood and adolescence: clinical and laboratory aspects

Objective: To evaluate children and adolescents suffering frommigraine according to their physical examination and laboratorydata and to verify the possible correlation between the clinicalalterations and the imaging exams. Methods: An assessment of25 patients, 18 of whom suffered from migraines and 7 from tensiontype headaches, was obtained with the help of a neuroclinicalexamination. an electroencephalogram, a computerizedtomography of the brain and the single photon emission computedtomography. Results: The electroencephalogram and thecomputerized tomography revealed alterations in 48% of thepatients and the single photon emission computed tomography in44%. It was found that a 40% coincidence existed between theelectroencephalographic and single photon emission computedtomography alterations, which suggested localized neuronaldysfunction. Conclusion: Among the studied population of childrenand adolescents with migraine there was an important coincidencebetween electroencephalographic and the single photon emissioncomputed tomography data.