OCCIPITAL LOBE TUMOR PRESENTING AS MIGRAINE WITH TYPICAL AURA

We report the case of a 60-year-old woman in whom migraine with typica l aura heralded the presence of an occipital lobe tumor. Her headache was characterized by recurrent episodes of visual aura confined to the left visual field followed by right hemicranial throbbing headaches a ccompanied by nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia. Interictal neurolo gic and ophthalmologic examinations were negative, as was an unenhance d brain CT scan. The headaches increased in frequency over 4 months de spite a number of medications known to prevent attacks of migraine. A low-grade right occipital lobe tumor was eventually discovered on MR s can. This case illustrates that headache fulfilling the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for migraine with typical aura can occ ur in association with an occipital lobe tumor.