Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Introduction Persistent migraine aura without headache is an extremely rare condition. The International Headache Society defines various subtypes of migraines, including "persistent migraine aura without infarction" and "typical aura without headache."
Case presentation We describe the case of a 21-year-old Asian woman with a history of migraine without aura who had (as her first aura episode) persistent negative visual symptoms without headache for 6 months. We detected no lesions that could cause her persistent visual symptoms. Based on the patient's history of migraine without aura and responsiveness to furosemide and lamotrigine, we concluded that the visual symptoms in this case were related to migraine visual auras.
Conclusions Persistent visual aura without headache overlapped the criteria for the two migraine subtypes mentioned above and thus did not fit an exact diagnosis. Therefore, we assert that new criteria are needed to encompass uncertain visual symptoms of migraine aura.
Introduction
Migraine is a common aetiology of headache that causes functional disability. A migraine aura can be defined as a neurological disturbance that emerges prior to or during the appearance of a migraine headache. The second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) divided migraine into various subtypes. Among these subtypes, migraine aura without headache is a relatively uncommon phenomenon, with a lifetime prevalence of 3% in women and 1% in men. Some patients with migraine present with a continuous visual phenomenon, and no specific aetiology has been found for these patients despite detailed investigation. ICHD-II defines such cases as persistent migraine aura without infarction, which is a rare but well-documented condition. These two subtypes, that is, migraine aura without headache and persistent migraine aura without infarction, are examples of the rare end of the migraine spectrum. To the best of our knowledge, few reports have addressed migraine symptoms that overlap these two subtypes.
Here we describe the case of a patient with a persistent negative visual aura without migraine headache.