Cerebral polyopia in migraine: a clinical case

Abstract

We describe an 8-year-old, with a 1-year history of migraine without aura who experienced an episode of unusual visual aura, characterised by a fourfold view of her mother's image. These images were clearly visible only on their right half, and lasted about 30 min, followed by her typical migraine. A peripheral mechanism seems unlikely in this case, so we propose a cerebral mechanism, possibly by means of spreading depression involving the occipital lobe with secondary spread to neighbouring areas.