Diagnostic
Consultation
Before we treat your headaches, we understand them.
TREATM
TREATMENT
Why Diagnosis Come First
Most headache patients arrive at our practice having been treated, without having been properly diagnosed.
There is a significant difference between the two. Treatment without diagnosis is guesswork. And guesswork is why so many chronic headache patients spend years on medications that don’t work, cycling through approaches that address the symptom but never the source.
At the National Headache Institute in New Jersey, every patient begins with a comprehensive diagnostic consultation. We take a detailed history, conduct a thorough neurological evaluation, and determine which additional investigations are appropriate for your specific presentation.
Only then do we build your treatment plan.
Your Diagnostic Consultation
Your initial consultation with Dr. Sima Solaimanzadeh is a thorough, unhurried evaluation. We want to understand:
- The nature, frequency, duration, and pattern of your headaches
- What triggers your pain and what makes it worse
- Your full treatment history and what has or hasn’t worked before
- How your headaches are affecting your daily life, work, and sleep
- Any associated symptoms — dizziness, visual changes, neck pain, cognitive effects
This is the foundation of everything that follows.
Recommended Diagnostic Workup
Based on your consultation, Dr. Seema may recommend additional investigations to complete your diagnostic picture. These may include:
Neurological & Functional Testing
- ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) testing — to identify autonomic neuropathy that may be contributing to headache
- VNG (Videonystagmography) testing — to evaluate inner ear and brain stem function in patients experiencing headaches with dizziness or vertigo
- EMG (Electromyography) and nerve conduction studies — to assess nerve function and identify peripheral nerve involvement
Imaging
- MRI of the brain — to evaluate neurological structures and rule out secondary causes
- MRI of the neck — to assess cervical spine involvement in headache disorders
- MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) — to evaluate the vascular structures of the head and neck
Note: Imaging is recommended as part of your diagnostic workup and is not performed in-office. We will guide you through the referral process and review your results as part of your ongoing care.
Other tests
- Allergy testing — to identify allergic or immunological triggers contributing to headache
- Sleep studies — sleep disorders, including sleep apnoea, are a well-established contributor to chronic headache; where indicated, we recommend appropriate sleep evaluation
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR CONSULTATION
Following your evaluation, Dr. Sima Solaimanzadeh will review all findings with you clearly and in plain language. You will leave your consultation understanding:
- What type of headache disorder you have and what is driving it
- Which additional investigations (if any) are recommended and why
- What your treatment options are
- What your personalised treatment plan looks like
Schedule Your Diagnostic Consultation. In person in South Plainfield, NJ — or via call. (908) 315-5707