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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have typical migraines or a family history of migraine with aura, your doctor will likely diagnose the condition on the basis of your medical history and a physical exam.
But if your headaches are severe or sudden, your aura isn't followed by head pain, or the visual disturbances affect only one eye, your doctor may recommend certain tests to rule out more serious conditions, such as transient ischemic attack — a temporary decrease in blood supply to part of your brain — that could be causing your symptoms.
Your doctor may recommend:
- An eye (ophthalmologic) examination. During this exam, your doctor will use an instrument the size of a small flashlight (ophthalmoscope) to project a beam of light into your eye to examine the back of your eyeball (fundoscopy).
- Computerized tomography (CT). This X-ray technique produces detailed images of your internal organs, including your brain.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This diagnostic imaging procedure produces images of your internal organs, including your brain.
Your doctor may also refer you to a doctor who specializes in nervous system disorders (neurologist) to rule out brain conditions that could be causing your symptoms.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Headache: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm?css=print. Accessed Jan. 11, 2009.
- Pelak VS. Approach to the patient with visual hallucinations. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Ramzan M, et al. Headache, migraine, and stroke. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Acute treatment of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Migraine - What are the treatments? American Academy of Neurology. http://www.thebrainmatters.org/index.cfm?key=1.9.6 1/. Accessed Jan. 12, 2009.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Preventive treatment of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Swanson JW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 15, 2009.
- Tinel D, et al. Vertebrobasilar ischemia after cervical spine manipulation: A case report. Annales de readaptation et de medecine physique 208;51:403.
- Haldeman S, et al. Stroke, cerebral artery dissection, and cervical spine manipulation therapy. Journal of Neurology. 2002;249:1098.
