Occipital nerve stimulation for non-migrainous chronic headaches: a systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic headache affects 3% of the population, with many cases resistant to current treatments.
• Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) is an invasive, costly option, often a last resort.
• Limited evidence exists on ONS efficacy and safety for non-migraine chronic headaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy and safety of ONS for non-migraine chronic headaches.
• To evaluate ONS as a treatment option for patients refractory to less invasive therapies.
• To inform future randomized controlled trials on ONS for specific patient populations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing ONS to sham or best available treatment.
• Searches of multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, etc.) and clinical trial registries.
• Inclusion of adult patients with chronic headache (excluding migraine); assessment of pain reduction, frequency, duration, quality of life, and adverse events.

Main Results:

• Data extraction on patient and procedure characteristics, comparative treatments, and clinical outcomes.
• Independent risk of bias assessment using Cochrane tools.
• Synthesis of evidence to determine the overall reduction in head pain severity and other secondary outcomes.

Conclusions:

• This review will clarify the role of ONS in treating refractory chronic headaches.
• It will provide insights into the safety profile of ONS for these conditions.
• Findings will guide the design of future clinical trials for ONS in headache management.