Brainstem Alteration in Migraine via 3D Volume Segmentation

Abstract

Background: Migraine is a multifaceted and complex disease that can be described as a mild headache or as a very severe headache lasting for days. It is a very common neurological disease in the society. Although migraine has a well-defined phenotype, some gaps in its pathophysiology can be partly filled by neuroimaging studies.

Materials and Methods: In this context, the present study aims to measure and compare the brainstem volumes of both patients diagnosed with migraine and healthy individuals by using 3D volume segmentation method. Brainstem volumes of 98 individuals between the ages of 18 and 50 who did not have any diseases or pathologies and who were diagnosed with migraine were calculated with ITK-SNAP software and the results found were compared with the brainstem volumes of healthy individuals.

Results: Analyses showed a significant difference between migraine patients and healthy individuals in terms of brainstem volume. Brainstem volume of healthy individuals were found to be significantly higher than those of migraine patients.

Conclusions: The present study clearly showed the difference between brainstem volume of migraine patients and healthy individuals and also showed that this difference is statistically significant.