A cluster-tic syndrome: a case report
CASE REPORT
Zoran Vukojevic
1
, Aleksandra Dominovic-Kovacevic
1
, Sanja Grgic
1
, and Srdjan Mavija
1
1
Department of Neurology, University clinical center of Republic of Srpska,
Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Correspondence: Srdjan Mavija
Relje Krilatice 7, Banja Luka 78000, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Email: smavija@yahoo.com
Introduction: Cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia have typical clinical features with recurrent, attacks of severe pain
in orbito-temporal area along with unilateral lacrimation and rhinorrhea (cluster headache) or within the innervation area of
the roots of trigeminal nerve branches (trigeminal neuralgia). Co-occurrence of these two conditions, as it is often referred in
the literature, is named cluster-tic syndrome.
Case report: A 46-year-old, female patient was presented with episodic form of cluster headaches and concurrent trigeminal
neuralgia. Painful attacks had a different time distribution and matching localization. Specific treatment led to relief in both
types of headaches. MRI of the brain showed aberrant superior cerebellar artery which contacts with proximal segments of
right trigeminal nerve, possibly leading to neuropathic pain.
Discussion: Cluster headache has characteristic clinical presentation with intermittent, recurrent, severe pain and dysau-
tonomic features in the orbito-temporal area, specific treatment of acute pain attacks (oxygen inhalation, subcutaneous
sumatriptan injections) and specific prevention therapy (verapamil, prednisone), different from other primary headaches.
Trigeminal neuralgia is presented with attacks of stabbing unilateral facial pain following the sensory distribution of one or
more of the branches of trigeminal nerve. Both conditions are rare and its association is even more rare and called cluster-tic
syndrome and they produce a strong and exhausting pain which requires a immediate attention and treatment.
Keywords: Cluster headache, Trigeminal neuralgia, Cluster-tic syndrome.
Citation: Vukojevic et al. A cluster-tic syndrome: a case report. International
Journal of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health 2016; 3(Suppl. 1):S16
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21035/ijcnmh.2016.3(Suppl.1).S16
Published: 23 December 2016
© 2016 Vukojevic et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
Open Access Publication Available at http://ijcnmh.arc-publishing.org
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF
AND
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES
MENTAL HEALTH
Special Issue on Controversies in Neurology. From the 10
th
World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy), Lisbon, Portugal. 17–20 March 2016.
Abstract