Dolicho-vertebrobasilar abnormality and migraine-like attacks.

This is a study of two children with neuroradiologically diagnosed dolichobasilar anomaly: in both cases, the diagnosis was based on magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography findings. We examined the first child (R., aged 6 years and 8 months) following four episodes of intense pain in the left orbit, lasting between 10 and 30 min and accompanied by photophobia and vomiting. The second child (S., aged 9 years and 2 months), suffering from Marfan's syndrome, was examined following recurrent episodes of intense pain that started above the left orbit, moving to the homolateral orbit after a few minutes. These episodes, which lasted between 20 and 30 min, took place mainly at night and were accompanied by phono-photophobia and vomiting. In both cases, the pain attacks can be interpreted as a result of compression of the root of the trigeminal nerve caused by an arterial malformation.