United States: A new review indicates that nerve surgery could reduce the number of headache days for individuals suffering from chronic migraines.
More about the study
Nerve surgery also shows promise as an acute treatment for managing specific types of headaches, including migraines. A study published in the June issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, conducted by the authors of the research, found that it could reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.
According to the researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Janis, a professor of plastic surgery, surgery, neurosurgery, and neurology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, “Our study adds new evidence that headache surgery improves both sets of measures, providing a more comprehensive assessment of the results of headache surgery,” as US News reported.
Further insights into Migraine treatment
Migraine surgery aspires to remove the pressure from the nerves around the head and neck areas, which according to the researchers are surgical trigger point. This pressure is believed to be one of the causes of headaches.
The neurologist’s goal in evaluating possible migraine therapies is often oriented toward whether or not they helped to decrease the number of days a person had a headache, Janis noted.
On the other hand, the headache surgery that is usually performed by the plastic surgeons usually involves the use of an index that assess various headache parameters such as frequency, intensity and duration of migraines according to Janis.
Janis said, “This discrepancy is one reason why some headache specialists have been slow to recognize the growing body of evidence showing the effectiveness of headache surgery,” as a part of the news release.
How was the study conducted?
In this review, researchers identified two approaches to evaluating the success of migraine surgery, potentially bridging the gap between the two groups of stakeholders.
The authors systematically analyzed 19 articles on headache surgery reported from 2005 through 2020, which included 1,600 patients.
Headache frequency: Patients reported an average reduction of 14 migraine days per month in the postoperative study.
Additionally, the total number of migraines decreased by nearly nine days per month. The surgery also significantly reduced migraine severity and possible complications.
What are the researchers’ conclusions?
The researchers of the study concluded, “demonstrates the efficacy of headache surgery on the outcomes used in both the [plastic surgery] and neurology literature,” as US News reported.
Janis said, “We hope our study will help to foster common communication between plastic surgeons and neurologists in assessing the effects of headache surgery for patients with chronic headache pain.”
“Future studies of headache surgery should routinely include data on monthly migraine days in order to better compare the outcomes of surgical and medical treatments,” the researcher added.