Abstract
Introduction Migraine is the most common neurological disorder and the third most common disease
worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms contributing to its development are
not completely understood. Symptoms may arise from a combination of dilation-independent
vascular events and neurogenic mechanisms interacting throughout the brain and within
the trigeminovascular system in the meninges
Materials and method We report here a case of a patient with a suspected familial hemiplegic migraine
who presented an increased recurrence of events from one per month to one every other
day. Three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisitions were performed after the
appearance of a strong crisis which included a paresthesia and aphasia along with
headaches. Two MRIs were performed close to the crisis, while the last one was done
1 month later.
Results During the crisis, cerebral perfusion exhibits incoherent results. Blood velocity
measurements highlight a strong phase lag between left internal carotid artery (ICA)
and basilar artery and more importantly right ICA. After a month, parameters came
back to standard values.
Conclusion The transitory nature of the observed modifications suggests a reversible alteration
of the vascular tone of the ICA in patients with migraine. This alteration seems to
follow recovery pattern of the patient.
Keywords
migraine - MRI - adolescence - perfusion - vascular tone
