migrainous cranial neuralgia /mī″grānəs, mīgrā″nəs/ [Gk, hemi, half, kranion, skull; L, osus, having] , a variant of migraine, most common in middle-aged men, characterized by closely spaced episodes of excruciating throbbing unilateral headaches often accompanied by dilation of temporal blood vessels, flushing, sweating, lacrimation, nasal congestion or rhinorrhea, ptosis, and facial edema. Repeated episodes usually occur in clusters within a few days or weeks and may be followed by a relatively long remission period. A typical attack begins abruptly, without prodromal signs, as a burning sensation in an orbit or temple, and the resulting radiating intense pain may last 1 or 2 hours. Histamine diphosphate injected subcutaneously in people subject to these headaches produces symptoms identical to those occurring in a spontaneous attack. The pain may be relieved by antihistamines, and ergotamine tartrate preparations may be helpful if administered at the onset of an attack. Oxygen administration and endometracin for prophylaxis may also be used. Also called cluster headache, histamine headache, Horton’s headache. See also migraine.
