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Nummular Headache - a Case Report of a Rare Entity

  • Uncommon and/or Unusual Headaches and Syndromes (J Ailani, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this manuscript is to shed light on systematic work-up of a diagnostic challenge such as nummular headache (NH), and to summarize the relevant literature on NH.

Recent Findings

The specific nature of the shape of the pain site is usually characteristic of NH. Multiple modalities of investigation including succinct imaging are necessary to successfully rule out other similar conditions.

Summary

A 26-year-old female patient of Asian-Indian origin presented to the clinic with the chief complaint of chronic persistent left parietal headache for more than 10 years, which has been worsening over the past few days with no specific identifiable trigger. The diagnosis of nummular headache is challenging and confusing due to the rare occurrence and inadequate references in the literature. Appropriate imaging was done, which revealed no pathology that could explain the headache presentation. These findings are consistent with our diagnosis of nummular headache, and helped in the successful management of the case.

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Data Availability

Data included the patient’s history, test results, and clinical notes.

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the four authors consistent with what was mentioned above in contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for TMD and Orofacial Pain, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, NJ, USA

    Davis C. Thomas, Gary M. Heir & Prutha K. Soni

  2. Department of Restorative Dentistry and Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Center for TMD and Orofacial Pain, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, NJ, USA

    Amey G. Patil

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  1. Davis C. Thomas
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Correspondence to Davis C. Thomas.

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Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report.

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The authors declared no potential competing interests with respect to the research authorship and/or publication of this article.

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Thomas, D.C., Heir, G.M., Patil, A.G. et al. Nummular Headache - a Case Report of a Rare Entity. Curr Pain Headache Rep 24, 71 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-020-00901-8

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