Perfusion patterns in migraine with aura.

OBJECTIVES: Migraine with aura is a common neurological disorder, and differentiation from transient ischemic attack or stroke based on clinical symptoms may be difficult.
METHODS: From an MRI report database we identified 33 patients with migraine with aura and compared these to 33 age-matched ischemic stroke patients regarding perfusion patterns on perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI)-derived maps: time to peak (TTP), mean transit time (MTT), and cerebral blood flow and volume (CBF, CBV).
RESULTS: In 18/33 (54.5%) patients with migraine with aura, TTP showed areas of hypoperfusion, most of these not limited to the territory of a specific artery but affecting two or more vascular territories. In patients with migraine with aura, TTP (1.09 ± 0.05 vs. 1.47 ± 0.40, p < 0.001) and MTT ratios (1.01 ± 0.10 vs. 1.19 ± 0.21, p = 0.003) were significantly lower compared to patients with ischemic stroke. In contrast to this, CBF and CBV ratios did not differ significantly between both groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Migraine aura is usually associated with a perfusion deficit not limited to a specific vascular territory, and only a moderate increase of TTP. Thus, hypoperfusion restricted to a single vascular territory in combination with a marked increase of TTP or MTT may be regarded as atypical for migraine aura and suggestive of acute ischemic stroke. © International Headache Society 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.