Barré–Liéou syndrome is a traditional

medical diagnosis Medical diagnosis (abbreviated Dx, Dx, or Ds) is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. It is most often referred to as a diagnosis with the medical context being implicit. The information ...

that is not utilized frequently in modern medicine. It is a complex combination of symptoms, amounting to a headache syndrome, that was originally hypothesized to be due to cervical

spondylosis Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense, it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related degeneration of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degener ...

. Damage to the posterior cervical sympathetic chain due to the degeneration of the cervical

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

was theorized to play a role in this syndrome by the prolapsing of disc in the mid-cervical spine. However, the medical theory as was originally postulated was found to contain inconsistencies. Barré–Liéou syndrome is regarded by many current medical researchers as synonymous with

cervicogenic headache Cervicogenic headache is a type of headache characterized by chronic hemicranial pain referred to the head from either the cervical spine or soft tissues within the neck. The main symptoms of cervicogenic headaches include pain originating in the ...

. Thus, the original works of Barré and Liéou were foundational in identifying a crucial feature that distinguishes cervicogenic headache from other headache syndromes—the concept that the pain originates from a structural abnormality in the cervical spine.

Symptoms

Patients with Barré–Liéou syndrome may have complaints of: *

Headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

Neck pain The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...

* Orofacial pain * Ear pain *

Toothache Toothaches, also known as dental pain or tooth pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or referred ...

Tinnitus Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...

Nasal congestion Nasal congestion is the partial or complete blockage of nasal passages, leading to impaired nasal breathing, usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflammation of blood vessels. Background In about 85% of cases, nasal ...

Diagnosis

One test to check for Barré–Liéou syndrome is through the use of

thermography Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared im ...

. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

study may also be conducted to rule out any structural problems in the neck which may be the cause of this syndrome.

Treatment

Some of the treatments for this disorder consist of sympathetic nerve blocks,

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

neck brace A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support and immobilize a person's neck. It is also applied by emergency personnel to those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, although they should not be rou ...

and traction.

History

The syndrome was first described in 1925 by French neurologist

Jean Alexandre Barré Jean Alexandre Barré (25 May 1880, Nantes – 26 April 1967, Strasbourg) was a French neurologist who in 1916 worked on the identification of Guillain–Barré syndrome, Guillain-Barré-Strohl syndrome, as well as Barré–Liéou syndrome. Biog ...

. Chinese physician Yong-Cheon Lieou also independently described the syndrome in 1928.

References

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