ABSTRACT
Headache and cerebrovascular disease may be associated in a number of ways. Because primary headache disorders and cerebrovascular disease each produce head pain, focal neurologic deficits and alterations in cerebral blood flow, these disorders sometimes present diagnostic challenges. This chapter discusses the headaches associated with a number of stroke types including transient ischemic attacks, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. It then discusses headache in other vascular disorders including cortical vein thrombosis, carotid dissection and primary vasculitis of the nervous system. In intracerebral (intraparenchymal) hemorrhage, the headache is usually associated with the rapid development of focal neurologic signs and/or alterations in consciousness, which allows this headache to be differentiated from a primary headache. The chapter summarizes the headaches associated with endarterectomy and closes with comments on the clinical and pathophysiologic implications of the links between migraine and stroke.
