Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 63%
Practice
You are evaluating a 48-year-old woman with headaches. She reports a long history of occasional sinus headaches, usually responding to over-the-counter treatment. Over the last several months, the headaches are occurring more frequently, and are actually more painful than they have been in the past. Over-the-counter medications, effective in the past, no longer work. What is the most appropriate next step?
Correct answer
D
Rationale
Worsening headaches unresponsive to prior treatment raise concern for a secondary cause (e.g., tumor); imaging is the next step over empirical treatment.