A 50-year-old woman with migraine was admitted to hospital shortly after having abruptly developed hemiparesis. CT scan revealed infarction in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery. Death ensued after three days due to cerebral edema with herniation. Autopsy revealed no pathologic findings in the heart or in the extra- or intracranial arteries. It is suggested that the fatal stroke may have resulted from arterial spasm caused by ergotamine overdosage and possibly complicated by thrombosis.
. GoldfischerJD. Acute myocardial infarction secondary to ergot therapy. Report of a case and review of the literature. New Engl J Med1960;262:860–3
10.
. BenedictCRRobertsonD. Angina pectoris and sudden death in the absence of atherosclerosis following ergotamine therapy for migraine. Am J Med1979;67:177–8
11.
. KleinLSSimpsonRJSternRHaywardJCFosterJR. Myocardial infarction following administration of sublingual ergotamine. Chest1982;82:375–6
12.
. RichterAMBankerVP. Carotid ergotism. A complication of migraine therapy. Radiology1973; 106:339–40
13.
. SenterHJLiebermanANPintoR. Cerebral manifestations of ergotism. Report of a case and review of the literature. Stroke1976;7:88–92
14.
. BartlesonJD. Transient and persistent neurological manifestations of migraine. Stroke1984;15:383–6
15.
. BerlitPGerhardtHHuckKDiezlerP. Ergotismus mit zerebralen Komplikationen. Fallbericht und Literaturübersicht. Schweiz Med Wschr1986;116:440–5
16.
. HildebrandtGBusseO. Ergotismus mit zerebraler Manifestation. Nervenarzt1986;57:174–9
17.
. OlsenTSBechESHerningM. Cause of cerebral infarction in the carotid territory. Its relation to the size and the location of the infarct and to the underlying vascular lesion. Stroke1985;16:459–65
18.
. NorrvingBNilssonBCronqvistS. Dissection of cerebral arteries-A major cause of stroke in the young. In: Abstracts of the third Scandinavian meeting on cerebrovascular disease1985:24
19.
. DorfmanLJMarshallWHEnzmannDR. Cerebral infarction and migraine: Clinical and radiologic correlations. Neurology1979;29:317–22
20.
. FriedmanAPvon StorchTJCArakiS. Ergot amine tartrate: Its history, action, and proper use in the treatment of migraine. NY St J Med1959;59:2359–66
. ThompsonWSMcClureWWLandowneM. Prolonged vasoconstriction due to ergotamine tartrate. Report of a case with recovery, with objective evaluation of vascular findings. Arch Int Med1950; 85:691–8
27.
. YoungJRHumphriesAW. Severe arteriospasm after use of ergotamine tartrate suppositories. Report of a case. JAMA1961;175:1141–5
