Thunderclap headache

Destruction headaches (primary thunderclap headache, thunderclap headache english ) is a sudden, very severe headache, which reach the maximum pain within the first 60 seconds. In contrast to most headaches are headaches destruction to medical emergency with potentially fatal outcome. In industrialized countries, an incidence of 43 per 100 000 adults per year is assumed.

Causes

Common causes of destruction headaches are:

  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage: most common cause
  • Neurovascular diseases: eg reversible cerebral Vasokonstriktionssyndrom ( RCVS )
  • Infections
  • Increased intracranial pressure
  • Decreased intracranial pressure
  • Cervical arterial dissection
  • Cerebral venous thrombosis

When other causes are:

  • Intracerebral hematoma
  • Intraventricular hemorrhage
  • Acute subdural hematoma
  • Stroke
  • Tumors
  • Acute sinusitis
  • Meningitis
  • Pituitary
  • Cerebral aneurysm without acute bleeding
  • Cardiac headache by myocardial ischemia

Diagnostics

The most common and also most dangerous cause of the destruction of headaches is the subarachnoid hemorrhage. This can usually be found with a skull CT. CT is negative, a lumbar puncture is performed. Can a subarachnoid hemorrhage are excluded as a cause, an imaging of the cervical and cerebral vessels and an MRI of the brain.

Medical imaging
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