Paroxysmal hemicrania

Abstract

Paroxysmal hemicrania is classified as a trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia by the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition. The current criteria require at least 20 attacks of severe unilateral orbital, supraorbital, or temporal pain, lasting 2–30 minutes, accompanied by ipsilateral cranial autonomic features such as ptosis, eyelid oedema, conjunctival injection, lacrimation, nasal blockage, or rhinorrhoea. Attacks usually have a frequency of more than five per day, and respond exquisitely to indomethacin.