CT scans, MRIs or a spinal tap, a procedure in which cerebrospinal spinal fluid is drawn for examination, may be necessary for a differential diagnosis. An aneurysm is a widening of a blood vessel wall that can rupture, leading to bleeding in the brain, known as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The pain this causes has often been described as the worst headache of one's life. Temporal Arteritis An inflammation of an artery, this disorder usually occurs in older persons, and is associated with headache, muscular and joint aches, weight loss, malaise, fever and sometimes jaw pain. Its most worrisome symptom is transient visual loss, which may lead to permanent blindness if the disorder goes undiagnosed.
Patients typically complain of tenderness when the scalp or sides of the head are touched.
Most patients with suspected temporal arteritis are sent for a biopsy, in which a surgeon removes a small piece of the inflamed artery for microscopic examination to ensure correct diagnosis. Treatment involves steroids, mainly prednisone, often for an extended period to control the inflammation and prevent blindness. This pain, also known as tic douloureux, involves the nerves of the face and usually occurs on one side of the face only. Its pain is intermittent and severe, often describes as electric shock-like or stabbing. Talking, eating, or even by something as seemingly innocuous as wind blowing against the cheeks may trigger pain.