Incidence of Migraine Headaches

Migraine Headache Surgery Effectively Eliminates or Reduces Migraine Headaches

Randomized double-blinded placebo (sham surgery) controlled clinical trial demonstrated surgical efficacy.
84% experienced at least a 50% reduction in migraine
57% experienced complete elimination of migraine headaches at 1 year after surgery.
Surgery was effective in all trigger points tested:

Who is a candidate?

Migraine headache diagnosed by a neurologist or pain specialist, and
Not adequately treated by existing medications, or
Migraine medications cause undesirable side-effects, or
Frequency or severity of migraine headaches (even with effective medication) intereferes with daily life, and
A trigger point is identifiable (e.g. frontal, temporal, occipital, nasal).

How Is Migraine Surgery Performed?

Outpatient procedure (in most cases).
The triggering nerve is decompressed (trigeminal, supra-orbital, supra-trochlear, and/or greater occipital) or divided (zygomatico-temporal).
Decompression is conceptually similar to carpal tunnel surgery.
Migraine Surgery can be minimally invasive:
Can be done endoscopically for the supra-orbital, supra-trochlear and zygomatico-temporal.
Can be performed endo-nasally for naso-septal trigger points.
Migraine Operations are similar in approach to endoscopic brow lift and/or septoplasty.
Open decompression via small access incisions hidden at the hairline for the occipital trigger point.
Recovery is often 1-2 weeks with some improvement seen quickly in many cases.

Current Treatment Strategies Are Often Inadequate

Triptans (e.g. sumatriptan, Imitrex) are often effective.
Problems with triptans include delay (pain) from time of administration to time of medication effect.
Side Effects:

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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