Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction phenomena following indomethacin administration.

We report a case of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction, possibly secondary to the use of indomethacin to relieve pain during a migraine with aura attack. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not reported among substances precipitating secondary forms of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction. A transcranial Doppler sonography study, performed during the phase with headache and the other neurological deficits, suggested the presence of distal cerebral vasospasm, which normalized when all symptoms regressed completely (<24 hours). We speculated that indomethacin might represent the trigger factor of these particular phenomena, by acting either directly on distal cerebral vessels, or under certain predisposing conditions, such as migraine with aura attacks.
(© 2010 American Headache Society.)