Introduction: A migrainous infarct is a complication which may occur during the course of an attack of migraine, especially during the phase of the aura. It is the cause of between 1 and 14% of the cerebral infarcts in children. Even today there is still controversy as to whether it occurs in childhood, in spite of a strongly based clinical suspicion of it, since it is difficult to prove the chain of clinicopathological events scientifically.
Clinical case: We report the clinical case of an adolescent girl of eleven years of age who complained of having attacks of migraine with aura for the previous two years and fulfilled the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS). She was referred to us when a cranial CAT scan showed a hypodense area at the level of the ganglia of the left base, although neurological examination was still normal. The probable ischaemic nature of the lesion was confirmed using neuroimaging techniques (magnetic resonance). On electroencephalography there was a slow focal pattern which was moderately persistent in the left temporal cortex. Other causes of cerebral infarct were rules out on further complementary studies.
Conclusions: The patient therefore fulfilled the criteria of the IHS for diagnosis of a migrainous infarct. We also analyze the main findings regarding clinical history, epidemiology, clinical findings and diagnosis of migrainous infarct in childhood.