SUNCT SYNDROME - A HUNGARIAN CASE

A Hungarian patient with short-lasting, unilateral, neuralgiform heada che attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) is present ed in this paper. This male patient was first diagnosed as having firs t division trigeminal neuralgia. The location and duration of the atta cks and the prominent accompanying autonomic features on the symptomat ic side, such as conjunctival injection, lacrimation, nasal stuffiness , and the inefficacy of drugs, led to a reconsideration of the diagnos is. The pain paroxysms occurred frequently during a 3- to 4-month peri od, followed by a longer remission phase. Mechanical precipitating man euvers were observed during bouts of pain. The clinical picture is rem iniscent of the SUNCT syndrome, first described by Sjaastad et al in 1 978. SUNCT and trigeminal neuralgia are in many ways similar, although . some decisive differences have also been noted. Further observations are needed to distinguish the two disorders and to clarify this syndr ome as a new headache type or as a trigeminal neuralgia variant.