What kind of medical tests are associated with hemiplegic migraine headaches?
If you have any of the symptoms of hemiplegic migraine, see your doctor for a full evaluation. This is a serious form of migraine and many of its symptoms are also signs of a stroke. Tests to look for signs of a stroke may include a CT scan or MRI of the head. An examination may also include tests of the heart and blood vessels in your neck to evaluate whether your symptoms may be caused by blood clots forming in the neck. Genetic testing became available for hemiplegic migraine in 2006. Genetic testing can identify whether you have the typical genetic defects now associated with hemiplegic migraine that runs in families. Talk with your doctor about whether genetic testing might be useful to you. If you have a family member with similar symptoms, or if you test positive for one of the genetic defects linked to hemiplegic migraine, you’ll be diagnosed with “familial” hemiplegic migraine. That means it runs in your family, and you most likely could pass it on to your children. If you don
