Learning objectives
The learning objectives of this report are:
to familiarize readers with the clinical syndrome of carotidynia
to emphasize the role that imaging methods can play in demostrating a structural morphopathological substrate.
to present the radiological imaging findings from several imaging methods in four cases with clinical carotidynia syndrome.
Background
Carotidynia is defined as a neck pain episode,
usually unilateral,
associated with tenderness along the carotid bifurcation and that normally implies an idiopathic benign self-limiting condition.
Initially described by Fay in 1927 [1],
the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of idiopathic carotidynia were established in 1988 by the International Headache Society (IHS) in the first International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-I) [2] as a diagnostic entity consisting in a self-limiting neck pain syndrome and tenderness along the carotid bifurcation without structural abnormality.
In the second...
Findings and procedure details
We report four patients (three men and one woman,
aged between 36 and 45) that were referred to our radiology department with clinical suspicioun of carotidynia syndrome during a period of 6 months.
All patients presented localized pain in the anterolateral area of the neck (1 in the right side and 3 in the left side) of less than one week of duration,
in some cases projected to the ipsilateral side of the head. After careful clinical history, complete head and neck examination and laboratory...
Conclusion
Ultrasonography,
computed tomography and magnetic resonance are useful imaging methods in patients with suspicion of carotidynia syndrome.
Imaging findings consistent in abnormal soft tissue surrounding the carotid bifurcation in the appropiate clinical context along with the lack of any finding suggesting alternative diagnoses support the existence of a structural substracte for this clinical entity.
To avoid unnecessary examinations,
the radiologist should become familiar with the clinical and radiological features of carotidynia syndrome.
These radiological features will be helpful in the evaluation of patients with suspected...
Personal information
Sempere Campello,
Gemma,
MD
Radiologist in the Radiology Department of CLinica Rotger.
Palma de Mallorca.
Spain.
Email:
[email protected]
Arias Medina,
Ana,
MD
Radiologist in the Radiology Department of CLinica Rotger.
Palma de Mallorca.
Spain.
Email:
[email protected]
References
1.
Fay T.
Atypical neuralgia.
Arch neurol psychiatry 1927;18:309-15.
2.
Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society.
Classification and
diagnostic criteria for headache disorders,cranial neuralgias and facial pain.
Cephalalgia 1988;8(Suppl
7):1-96.
3.
Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS).
The International
Classification of Headache Disorders,
2nd edition.
Cephalalgia 2004; 24(Suppl 1):1-160
4.
Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS).
The International
Classification of Headache Disorders,
3rd edition (beta version).
Cephalalgia 2013; 33(9):627-808
5.
Upton pd,
Walker Smith Jg,
Charnock dr....