Amaurosis fugax in teenagers. A migraine variant

R. Appleton, K. Farrell, J. R. Buncic and A. Hill
Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia and British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.

Sudden, transient loss of vision in one eye (amaurosis fugax) is associated frequently with atherosclerosis of the internal carotid artery in adults and may herald a stroke. Thus, cerebral angiography is often performed. Amaurosis fugax in children is uncommon and an underlying cause is rarely demonstrated. Recurrent episodes of amaurosis fugax occurred in five adolescents. A characteristic evolution and pattern of visual loss, consistent with choroidal ischemia as the underlying mechanism, was described by four of them. Although none of the episodes were accompanied by headache, four patients had a history of common migraine at other times or a family history of migraine. These episodes of visual loss may represent a migraine variant, and cerebral angiography is not indicated in adolescents with such a history.