ASLArterial-spin-labelling CBF Cerebral blood flow DWI Diffusion-weighted imaging ROI Region of interest AIM Atypical migraine with aura can be challenging to diagnose. Arterial-spin-labelling (ASL)is able to non-invasively quantify brain perfusion. Our aim was to report cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations using ASL, at the acute phase of atypical migraine with aura in children.METHOD Paediatric patients were retrospectively included if (1) referred for acute neurological deficit(s), (2) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at presentation with ASL sequence, and (3) had subsequent diagnosis of migraine with aura. Neurological symptom-free controls were matched for age. Twenty-eight regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on CBF maps for each participant/control.
RESULTSTen patients were included (median age 13y, range 8-16y). Eight of 10 had multiple aura symptoms during the episode. For every patient, CBF was decreased in a brain region consistent with symptoms when MRI was performed less than 14 hours after onset (n=7 patients) and increased if the MRI was performed 17 hours or more after (n=4 MRIs).INTERPRETATION MRI-ASL appears to be a promising tool for the diagnostic workup and differentials exclusion in paediatric migraine with aura. Constant and time-consistent nonterritorial CBF modifications were found in our sample providing additional insight to migraine with aura pathophysiology. The authors encourage implementing this sequence at the acute phase of unexplained paediatric neurological deficits, with or without accompanying headache.Atypical presentations of migraine with aura can be difficult to diagnose and can be mistaken for acute stroke. 1,2 Typical aura is a fully reversible visual, sensory, motor, or phasic symptom, developing gradually over 5 minutes, lasting less than an hour per symptom, and accompanied or followed by headache within 60 minutes from symptom resolution. With a prevalence ranging from 3% in 3-to 7-year-old children to 8% to 20% in adolescents, 4 migraine is a common headache syndrome in the paediatric population. Up to 30% of patients report a preceding aura 5 and significant variations of symptoms expression over the span of childhood make migraine with aura a really challenging diagnostic situation, especially for atypical auras. To date, atypical migraine with aura pathophysiology remains elusive. Aura results from neurovascular phenomena comprising cortical spreading depression associated with cerebral regional hypoperfusion accompanied by negative neurological features. Subsequent neuronal hyperpolarization and regional hyperperfusion are concurrent with cephalalgia.6 Several cases and case-series have reported these perfusion modifications in adults, 1,[7][8][9][10] but literature regarding migraine with aura in children remains scant.Structural neuroimaging (including T1, T2, and fluidattenuated inversion recovery) findings in paediatric migraine patients are meagre and largely unspecific. On the other hand, more advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) te...