Acephalgic migraines of childhood.

Migraine aura without headache (acephalgic migraines) is a recognized subset of migrainous phenomena in the adult population. No reports of its prevalence or characteristics in a series of children exists. Using diagnostic criteria for migraine aura without headache established by the International Headache Society, a retrospective review of a computerized database of all patients referred over a 4-year period (July 1991 to June 1995 inclusive) to a single university-based pediatric neurologist was performed. Fourteen patients were identified, representing 2% of all patients with a primary diagnosis of migraine. Nine were females and 13 had a strong family history of migraines. Age of onset of symptoms ranged from 5 to 12 years with a mean of 8 years. Symptoms were episodic in all, varying in frequency from weekly to more typically monthly, lasting generally less than 10 min. In 9 patients the aura described was that of often colorful photopsias or scintillating scotomas. Two had micropsia, one had temporal distortion (time "speeded up"), one had hyperacusis, and the final patient had a vague sense of disconnection from her surroundings. Only 2 patients had a headache occasionally associated with the described aura. In addition to the acephalgic migraines, 9 patients had either common or classical migraines, the latter typically featuring aura distinct from those observed in these patients' acephalgic episodes. Neurologic examination, electrophysiologic investigation (EEG/evoked potentials), and neuroimaging were noncontributory in all instances. Migraine aura without headache is a recognizable benign migraine syndrome of late childhood.