[Cerebral hemodynamics in the context of differential diagnosis and management of headache in children].

Using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, cerebral hemodynamics has been studied in 140 children, aged 6-16 years, with different types of headache in the interictal period. According to a type of headache the patients have been divided into groups as follows: migraine, headache of tension and unspecified headache with arterial hypotension, arterial hypertension and normal blood pressure. The predominance of different changes of cerebral hemodynamics was found in patients compared to the control group. These changes were heterogeneous within the type of headache. All types of headache, with exception of headache with arterial hypertension, were characterized by low vascular tone of the cerebral arteries and increased bloodstream velocity. A high percent of cerebral venous defects was observed in all the groups. These disturbances should be taken into account in prescription of vasoactive drugs to children with headache.