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Thunderclap headache

MedGen UID:
105485
•Concept ID:
C0521668
•
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: Headache, Primary Thunderclap; Headache, Thunderclap; Primary Thunderclap Headache; Thunderclap Headache
SNOMED CT: Thunderclap headache (95660002); Primary thunderclap headache (122731000119104)
 
HPO: HP:0030907

Definition

Severe head pain with sudden onset, reaching its maximum intensity in less than one minute and lasting from one hour to ten days. [from HPO]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVThunderclap headache

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A review of pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment.
Singhal AB
Int J Stroke 2023 Dec;18(10):1151-1160. Epub 2023 Jun 12 doi: 10.1177/17474930231181250. PMID: 37246916
Diagnosis and Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Tawk RG, Hasan TF, D'Souza CE, Peel JB, Freeman WD
Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Jul;96(7):1970-2000. Epub 2021 May 13 doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.01.005. PMID: 33992453
Don't forget phaeochromocytoma in the differential diagnosis of thunderclap headache.
Angus PD
BMJ 2013 Feb 6;346:f682. doi: 10.1136/bmj.f682. PMID: 23390238

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A review of pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment.
Singhal AB
Int J Stroke 2023 Dec;18(10):1151-1160. Epub 2023 Jun 12 doi: 10.1177/17474930231181250. PMID: 37246916
Diagnosis and Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Tawk RG, Hasan TF, D'Souza CE, Peel JB, Freeman WD
Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Jul;96(7):1970-2000. Epub 2021 May 13 doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.01.005. PMID: 33992453
Headache Emergencies.
Kopel D, Peeler C, Zhu S
Neurol Clin 2021 May;39(2):355-372. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2021.01.003. PMID: 33896523
Other primary headaches-thunderclap-, cough-, exertional-, and sexual headache.
Bahra A
J Neurol 2020 May;267(5):1554-1566. Epub 2020 Mar 4 doi: 10.1007/s00415-020-09728-0. PMID: 32130497Free PMC Article
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Abraham MK, Chang WW
Emerg Med Clin North Am 2016 Nov;34(4):901-916. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2016.06.011. PMID: 27741994

Diagnosis

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A review of pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment.
Singhal AB
Int J Stroke 2023 Dec;18(10):1151-1160. Epub 2023 Jun 12 doi: 10.1177/17474930231181250. PMID: 37246916
Diagnosis and Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Tawk RG, Hasan TF, D'Souza CE, Peel JB, Freeman WD
Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Jul;96(7):1970-2000. Epub 2021 May 13 doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.01.005. PMID: 33992453
Headache Emergencies.
Kopel D, Peeler C, Zhu S
Neurol Clin 2021 May;39(2):355-372. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2021.01.003. PMID: 33896523
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Abraham MK, Chang WW
Emerg Med Clin North Am 2016 Nov;34(4):901-916. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2016.06.011. PMID: 27741994
Thunderclap headache.
Ducros A, Bousser MG
BMJ 2013 Jan 8;346:e8557. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e8557. PMID: 23303883

Therapy

Acute Headache in Adults: A Diagnostic Approach.
Viera AJ, Antono B
Am Fam Physician 2022 Sep;106(3):260-268. PMID: 36126007
Vertebral Artery Dissection.
Ginoza L, Lerner A, Sigman E
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2020 Jun;50(6):344. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2020.8858. PMID: 32476584
Bath-Related Headache.
Kumpinsky A, Nahas SJ
Curr Pain Headache Rep 2018 Aug 2;22(10):68. doi: 10.1007/s11916-018-0714-4. PMID: 30073574
Not just another thunderclap headache: a case of isolated cortical vein thrombosis and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Vassallo E, Azzopardi C, Grech R
BMJ Case Rep 2015 Nov 12;2015 doi: 10.1136/bcr-2015-212273. PMID: 26564113Free PMC Article
Call-Fleming syndrome and orgasmic cephalgia.
Keyrouz S, Dhar R, Axelrod Y
Headache 2008 Jun;48(6):967-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2008.01144.x. PMID: 18549376

Prognosis

Pathophysiology of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome.
Chen SP, Wang SJ
J Biomed Sci 2022 Sep 21;29(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s12929-022-00857-4. PMID: 36127720Free PMC Article
Acute Headache in Adults: A Diagnostic Approach.
Viera AJ, Antono B
Am Fam Physician 2022 Sep;106(3):260-268. PMID: 36126007
Thunderclap Headache in Children and Adolescents.
Levinsky Y, Eidlitz-Markus T
Curr Pain Headache Rep 2022 Mar;26(3):235-239. Epub 2022 Feb 15 doi: 10.1007/s11916-022-01020-2. PMID: 35167034
Thunderclap headache.
Dilli E
Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2014 Apr;14(4):437. doi: 10.1007/s11910-014-0437-9. PMID: 24643327
Neurology of pregnancy.
Block HS, Biller J
Handb Clin Neurol 2014;121:1595-622. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7020-4088-7.00105-X. PMID: 24365437

Clinical prediction guides

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A review of pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment.
Singhal AB
Int J Stroke 2023 Dec;18(10):1151-1160. Epub 2023 Jun 12 doi: 10.1177/17474930231181250. PMID: 37246916
Acute Headache in Adults: A Diagnostic Approach.
Viera AJ, Antono B
Am Fam Physician 2022 Sep;106(3):260-268. PMID: 36126007
Diagnosis and Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Tawk RG, Hasan TF, D'Souza CE, Peel JB, Freeman WD
Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Jul;96(7):1970-2000. Epub 2021 May 13 doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.01.005. PMID: 33992453
Evaluating thunderclap headache.
Chen CY, Fuh JL
Curr Opin Neurol 2021 Jun 1;34(3):356-362. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000917. PMID: 33661161
RCVS(2) score and diagnostic approach for reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome.
Rocha EA, Topcuoglu MA, Silva GS, Singhal AB
Neurology 2019 Feb 12;92(7):e639-e647. Epub 2019 Jan 11 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006917. PMID: 30635475

Recent systematic reviews

Fatal reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A systematic review of case series and case reports.
Valencia-Mendoza M, Ramírez-Rodríguez N, Vargas-Avila N, Peña-Ortiz A, Corzo-Villamizar M, Serna-Ramírez L, Góez-Mogollón L, Martínez-Rubio C, Bayona-Ortiz HF
J Clin Neurosci 2019 Dec;70:183-188. Epub 2019 Aug 12 doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2019.08.014. PMID: 31416730
Sensitivity of Early Brain Computed Tomography to Exclude Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Dubosh NM, Bellolio MF, Rabinstein AA, Edlow JA
Stroke 2016 Mar;47(3):750-5. Epub 2016 Jan 21 doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.011386. PMID: 26797666
A systematic review of causes of sudden and severe headache (Thunderclap Headache): should lists be evidence based?
Devenney E, Neale H, Forbes RB
J Headache Pain 2014 Aug 14;15(1):49. doi: 10.1186/1129-2377-15-49. PMID: 25123846Free PMC Article
Sentinel headache.
de Falco FA
Neurol Sci 2004 Oct;25 Suppl 3:S215-7. doi: 10.1007/s10072-004-0289-1. PMID: 15549540

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