• Akio Iwasaki, Keisuke Suzuki, Hidehiro Takekawa, Ryotaro Takashima, Ayano Suzuki, Shiho Suzuki, and Koichi Hirata.
• Stroke Division, Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, 322-0293, Japan. a.iwasaki.n@gmail.com.
• J Headache Pain. 2017 Dec 1; 18 (1): 3.

BackgroundThere may be a link between right-to-left shunt (RLs) and brain white matter lesions (WMLs) in patients with migraine. In this study, we assessed the relationship between WMLs and RLs in Japanese migraine patients.MethodsA total of 107 consecutive patients with migraine with (MA) and without aura (MWOA) were included in this study. Contrast transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used to detect RLs. WMLs were graded using brain magnetic resonance imaging based on well-established criteria.FindingsThe prevalence of RLs was significantly increased in the WMLs positive group (n = 24) compared with the WMLs negative group (n = 83) (75.0% vs. 47.0%, p = 0.015). In prevalence of WMLs between MA and MWOA patients, there were no statistical differences (p = 0.410). Logistic regression analysis adjusted by age and disease duration of migraine identified an RLs-positive status as the sole determinant for the presence of WMLs (OR = 6.15; 95% CI 1.82-20.8; p = 0.003) CONCLUSION: Our study suggests a possible link between RLs and WMLs in Japanese patients with migraine.

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