Enucleation and development of cluster headache: A restrospective study

Abstract

Background: Cluster headache (CH) is a neurovascular, primary headache disorder. There are, however, several case reports about patients whose CH started shortly after a structural brain disease or trauma. Motivated by a patient who developed CH 3 weeks after the removal of an eye and by similar case reports, we tested the hypothesis that the removal of an eye is a risk factor for CH. Methods: A detailed headache questionnaire was filled out by 112 patients on average 8 years after enucleation or evisceration of an eye. Results: While 21 % of these patients experienced previously unknown headaches after the removal of an eye, no patient fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for CH. Conclusion: Our data does not suggest that the removal of an eye is a major risk factor for the development of CH. © 2005 Sörös et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.