PROLONGED IMPAIRED CONSCIOUSNESS IN BASILAR ARTERY MIGRAINE

Basilar artery migraine is a distinctive disorder characterized by rec urrent occipital headache with typical migrainous phenomena in conjunc tion with a variety of symptoms referable to a transient dysfunction o f the brainstem, the cerebellum and the occipital lobes. Impairment of consciousness is a common feature but is usually too brief to be capt ured by electroencephalography. Here we report an unusual case of basi lar artery migraine with prolonged attacks of impaired consciousness l asting more than two weeks, thus allowing electroencephalographic foll ow-up. In the acute stage, EEG showed marked generalized slow wave del ta activity. After the attack, both the electroencephalographic and cl inical findings subsided within the following weeks.