Pathogenesis and treatment of intranasal contact point headache / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the pathogenesis,diagnosis and therapy of intranasal contact point headache.Method The clinical data of 73 patients with contact point headache between the septum and the lateral nasal wall were retrospectively reviewed and the anatomical abnormality of nasal carity was determined by CT scanning of the sinuses and endoscopy.All the patients underwent surgical intervention for correcting the abnormal anatomical conditions of nasal cavity.Results The headache disappeared in 67 of the 73 patients after topical anesthesia,and in the 6 remainders after maxillary sinus puncture.Among the anatomic variations in all the cases,endoscopy revealed that 31 sides there was hypertrophy of ethmoidal bulla,hypertrophy and medial deriation of processus uncinatus in 59 cases,abnormality of middle turbinate in 91 sides,and upper nasal septal deviation in 51 cases.Among the 73 cases,there was confact of two or mose sites of mucosa of the abnormalities in 57 cases.The headache disappeared in 64 patients(87.7%) one week after operation,and it was reduced in 9 cases(12.3%).12-month follow-up showed recovery in 59 cases(80.8%),in 12 cases(16.4%) it was partially relieved,and in 2 cases(2.7%) there was no effect.Conclusions Abnormal nasal septa,enlarged turbinates and other anatomic abnormalities are the most common findings in contact point headache.Pressure due to mucosal contact between the septum and lateral nasal wall mucosa,and maxillary sinus orifice occlusion are the major causes of contact point headaches.Endoscopy,CT scanning,and topical anesthesia are ideal in diagnosis of intranasal contact point headache.