A7.6.3 Post-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) headacheHartmut Gobel2018-01-31T16:19:23+00:00

Diagnostic criteria:

1. Recurrent headache fulfilling criterion C
2. A course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been given
3. Evidence of causation demonstrated by all of the following:
   1. headache has developed after ≥50% of ECT sessions
   2. each headache has developed within 4 hours after ECT
   3. each headache has resolved within 72 hours after ECT
4. Not better accounted for by another ICHD-3 diagnosis.

Comments:

Clear descriptions of headache associated with electroconvulsive therapy are sparse. In a single-blind comparator trial of eletriptan and paracetamol, 20 of 72 patients (28%) complained of headaches, but these were not well characterized (only location and quality of pain were assessed).

Published data are not adequate to define A7.6.3 Post-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) headache operationally and there have been no validation studies of these proposed criteria since ICHD-3 beta was published.