Diagnostic testing for the evaluation of headaches

Headaches, one of the most common disorders that neurologists evaluate, have one of the longest differential diagnoses in all of medicine with over 300 different types or causes. Most of the time, the correct diagnosis can be made with a complete history and physical examination. Judicious use of diagnostic testing, however, is critical. This article reviews the indications and utility of diagnostic testing in the following areas: headaches and a normal neurologic examination, migraine, the ''first or worst'' headache, headaches after mild head injury, and new-onset headaches in patients over the age of 50.