Transcranial Doppler ultrasonic features in episodic tension-type headache.

In a pilot study we used transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) to measure cerebral blood flow velocities in 21 headache-free episodic tension-type headache sufferers and in the same number of age- and sex-matched control subjects. We found increased blood flow velocities in the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries and a decreased pulsality index in the middle and posterior cerebral arteries in tension-type headache sufferers compared to controls. Vascular bruits were significantly more frequent in the basal cerebral arteries of the patients compared to controls. There were no significant asymmetries of blood flow velocities in corresponding arteries. The findings suggest a multifactorial pathogenesis in episodic tension-type headache including vascular abnormalities.