KETOPROFEN AND CAROTICO-CAVERNOUS FISTULA

Whilst treating a patient with traumatic direct carotico-cavernous fis tula, pain relief was difficult to achieve. Adequate doses of ibuprofe n and codeine were ineffective, but single doses of ketoprofen allevia ted pain in a reproducible manner. Although similar in analgesic effic acy to codeine, and a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase like ibuprofe n, ketoprofen has other actions which may account for the differential response seen. This observation may help elucidate the nature of loca l mediators involved in the pathogenesis of vascular headache pain.