The journal of headache and pain
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Frovatriptan vs. transdermal oestrogens or naproxen sodium for the prophylaxis of menstrual migraine.
Acute treatment of menstrual migraine (MM) attacks is often incomplete and unsatisfactory, and perimenstrual prophylaxis with triptans, oestrogen supplementation or naproxen sodium may be needed for decreasing frequency and severity of the attack. In this pilot, open-label, non-randomised, parallel group study we evaluated, in 38 women with a history of MM, the efficacy of frovatriptan (n=14) 2.5 mg per os or transdermal oestrogens (n=10) 25 microg or naproxen sodium (n=14) 500 mg per os once-daily for the short-term prevention of MM. All treatments were administered in the morning for 6 days, beginning 2 days before the expected onset of menstrual headache. ⋯ This was evident also for each single day of observation (p=0.016). Among treatments differences were particularly evident for the subgroup of patients with true MM (n=22) and for frovatriptan vs. naproxen sodium. This study suggests that short-term prophylaxis of MM with frovatriptan may be more effective than that based on transdermal oestrogens or naproxen sodium.
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Case Reports
Cysticercosis of temporalis muscle: an unusual cause of temporal headaches. A case report.
Cysticercosis is a common parasitic infection caused by encysted larvae of the helminth Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). The central nervous system (CNS) is the most important primary site of infection and the disease can present with solitary or multiple space occupying lesions. Less common presentations in the CNS include the racemose variety with macroscopic groups of cysticerci in the subarachnoid space giving the appearance of a cluster of grapes and basal or ventricular cysticercosis causing obstructive hydrocephalus. ⋯ Cases of cysticercosis presenting as isolated muscle mass (pseudotumours) without involvement of the CNS have also been recently described in the literature. We present a case of a 43-year-old woman who complained of subacute onset of left temporal pain and headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed characteristic imaging findings suggestive of cysticercosis of the temporalis muscle.