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The Journal of Headache and Pain logoLink to The Journal of Headache and Pain
. 2010 Apr 29;11(4):359–361. doi: 10.1007/s10194-010-0216-1

Meningioma causing gabapentin-responsive secondary SUNCT syndrome

Anna Kutschenko 1,, David Liebetanz 1
PMCID: PMC2917557  PMID: 20428918

Abstract

Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) is one of the rarest and most serious headache disorders. Cases of symptomatic SUNCT syndromes are reported, which demonstrate that brain imaging is very important for diagnosis. In this study, we describe the first case of secondary SUNCT syndrome caused by a meningioma. So far, a clearly effective therapy for SUNCT syndrome has not been known. In this case, however, SUNCT was completely responsive to gabapentin. This underlines that this drug is worthy of being considered as a potential therapeutic option in the treatment of SUNCT syndrome.

Keywords: Secondary headache disorders, SUNCT syndrome, Gabapentin, Meningioma

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Conflict of interest

None.

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Abbreviations

SUNCT

Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing

SUNA

Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with cranial autonomic features

MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging

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