Headache and Aneurysm

Headache may be the most common presenting symptom of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Unruptured intracranial aneurysm can be found in the work-up for headache but direct causality is not clear. Most of the headaches have been thought to be incidental symptoms of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. If high-risk patients with symptoms such as headache could be selected it would help in diagnosing unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Many aspects of unruptured intracranial aneurysm–associated headaches are unclear, including the mechanism, discriminating characteristics, and localization. This article reviews basic knowledge on cerebral aneurysm and headache, and describes the possible mechanism and characteristics of aneurysm-associated headaches.