Characteristics of migraine visual aura.

Visual auras (VAs) of 100 patients with migraine with aura were studied by questionnaire. Visual auras accompanied the patients' first headache (HA) in 39% of patients. Only 19% had VAs with every attack. Patients with VAs over the entire HA history had a high frequency (greater than 50%) of attacks with VA; patients with VA during only part of the HA history had a low frequency (less than 50%) of attacks with VA. The auras occurred exclusively prior to the HA in 57%. The free interval between the end of the VA and the start of the HA was usually (75%) shorter than 30 minutes. Most (59%) patients had VAs that lasted from 1 to 30 minutes. They started in the periphery of the visual fields in 56%. The most common phenomena described were: small bright dots (42%), flashes of light (39%), "blind spots" (32%), and "foggy vision" (27%). Fortification spectra was reported by only 20%. Although most (65%) patients had a combination of phenomena, the majority (72%) had only one uniform constellation of manifestations. There was no clear-cut relationship between side of VA and side of HA. Migraine VA is a pleomorphic and complex symptom. Many patients not qualifying for the diagnostic criteria of migraine with aura, as proposed by the International Headache Society (IHS), unequivocally present with visual phenomena that strongly suggest this diagnosis.

Early and transient side effects of repetitive intravenous dihydroergotamine.

Side effects associated with administration of repetitive intravenous dihydroergotamine (DHE) were prospectively studied in 72 patients with chronic daily headache who were hospitalized in a dedicated inpatient headache treatment program. All patients received 11 consecutive doses of DHE, starting with 0.25 mg and increasing by 0.25 mg up to a maximum dose of 1.25 mg, depending on side effects and/or headache relief. The adverse events were recorded after each dose administered. The great majority of patients (91.6%) reported at least one side effect. The most common were: nausea (72.2%), increase in previous headache (47.2%), lightheadedness (33.3%), "new" headache (27.8%), and leg cramps (23.6%). The overall number of side effect complaints did not increase proportionally with the strength of the dose of DHE administered. These complaints declined from the earlier to the later doses of DHE, except for leg cramps, which were more common with the later doses. Side effects determined the strength of subsequent doses of DHE in only 18.1% of patients. Only four patients had to have a decrease in dosage and none required termination of DHE due to side effects. Although repetitive intravenous DHE causes frequent side effects, they are usually mild and transient and decrease with subsequent doses, even at higher doses.