Be Sure You Are Not Missing  A Serious Non-migraine Headache – My Review

I’m using the Episode List of The Curbsiders Podcasts to review various primary care topics. Yesterday, I reviewed Migraine Headache in my post, Migraine Headache – My Review Of Diagnosis And Treatment.

And although most headaches that present to physicians (whether office based or emergency department based) are migraines or tension headaches, every clinician needs to beware of the dangerous headache either developing de novo or developing in a person who has pre-existing non-life threatening chronic headaces.

So first I’m going to review my post, 13 Dangerous Headaches–A List From Dr Reuben Strayer of EM Updates Posted on September 24, 2015.

  1. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
  2. Intracerebral Hemorrhage
  3. CNS Infection
  4. Increased Intracranial Pressure
  5. Carbon Monoxide Toxicity
  6. Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma
  7. Temporal (Giant Cell) Arteritis
  8. Cervical Artery Dissection
  9. Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis
  10. Hypertensive Encephalopathy
  11. ENT/dental infection
  12. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumor)
  13. Preeclampsia

Please review my post for Dr. Streyer’s reminders on when to think of each cause. I’ve included my own thoughts in the post in brackets.

And next I reviewed and suggest others review my post The Diagnosis Of Increased Intracranial Hypertension And Other Dangerous Headaches – My Review
Posted on June 12, 2018.

It is important to remember that a non-contrast CT scan can be normal in many cases of increased intracranial pressure. The evaluation of possible increased intracranial pressure is complex and is well covered in my post above.

And next I reviewed my post Differential Diagnosis + Appropriate Imaging Evaluation Of Headache – Help From the ACR Posted on March 2, 2017

The above post has 16 different tables for different headache scenarios with recommendations for appropriate imaging. It is an excellent quick review of imaging of potentially serious headaches.

And finally I reviewed the article ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Sinonasal Disease [PubMed Abstract] [Full Text HTML] [Full Text PDF]. J Am Coll Radiol.   2017 Nov;14(11S):S550-S559.

Resources:

The Diagnosis Of Increased Intracranial Hypertension And Other Dangerous Headaches – My Review Posted on June 12, 2018

 13 Dangerous Headaches–A List From Dr Reuben Strayer of EM Updates

Differential Diagnosis + Appropriate Imaging Evaluation Of Headache – Help From the ACR Posted on March 2, 2017

6-Year-Old Boy With Transient Headache, Confusion, and Emesis Now Resolved With a Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunt Posted on October 15, 2016

Pediatric Headache From The Pediatric Emergency Playbook and Pediatric EM Morsels
Posted on October 10, 2016

The Imaging of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension And Of Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Posted on March 2, 2017

Evaluation of Suspected Increased Intracranial Pressure Posted on March 1, 2017

 

This entry was posted in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology. Bookmark the permalink.