Complementary exams and headaches

In view of the high prevalence of headache in the general population, the availability of well defined criteria that will guide the physician regarding the request of complementary exams is highly desirable. To analyze the requests of complementary exams during the investigation of headache. The data were obtained by reviewing medical records of all patients who had been scheduled to be seen in a tertiary Headache Outpatient Clinic in 2004. The exam most frequently requested was computed tomography of the head and the exams that most contributed to a change in clinical diagnosis or medical conduct were computed tomography of paranasal sinuses, simple radiography of paranasal sinuses, and magnetic resonance image of the brain. The exams that did not contribute to a change in diagnosis or medical conduct were computed tomography and simple radiography of the cervical spine. As expected, the most expensive exams for the institution were computed tomography and magnetic resonance image. The importance of complementary exams in the investigation of headache is indisputable in many cases. However, it is necessary the availability of more studies that evaluate the request of complementary exams for headache patients.