Headaches caused by nasal and paranasal sinus disease

Michael J Marmura; Stephen D Silberstein

doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.001

Headaches caused by nasal and paranasal sinus disease

Neurol Clin. 2014 May;32(2):507-23. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.001. Epub 2014 Feb 26.

Authors

Michael J Marmura¹, Stephen D Silberstein²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Headache Center, 900 Walnut Street, Suite 2000, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
² Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Headache Center, 900 Walnut Street, Suite 2000, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Electronic address: stephen.silberstein@jefferson.edu.

PMID: 24703542
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.001

Abstract

Headache and rhinosinusitis are 2 of the most common conditions seen in clinical practice. In general, chronic and disabling headaches, especially if migraine features are present, are not due to sinus abnormalities. In suspected cases of bacterial sinusitis, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are both effective in demonstrating the infection. Although most cases of sinusitis are fairly easy to diagnose, sphenoid sinusitis may be overlooked, and can present with progressive or thunderclap headache in adults. Contact-point headache should be considered in patients with focal headaches and a contact point on the lateral nasal wall.

Keywords: Contact-point headache; Headache; Rhinosinusitis; Sphenoid sinusitis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Diagnosis, Differential
Headache / etiology*
Humans
Migraine Disorders / etiology*
Nose Diseases / complications*
Nose Diseases / diagnosis
Paranasal Sinus Diseases / complications*
Paranasal Sinus Diseases / diagnosis
Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods