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[Assessing occipital nerve stimulation efficacy for chronic refractory headaches].
David Costa Marques1, Alda Rocca2, Jocelyne Bloch1,2
1Faculté de biologie et de médecine, Université de Lausanne, 1004 Lausanne.
Revue Medicale Suisse
|September 22, 2021
Summary
Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) improved headache frequency and quality of life in 17 patients. While adverse events were common, they were not severe, and treatment failure may relate to prior preventive medication attempts.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Pain Medicine
Background:
- Chronic refractory headaches represent a significant challenge in clinical practice.
- Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) is an emerging neuromodulation technique for intractable headache disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) in a cohort of patients with chronic refractory headaches.
- To identify potential predictors of treatment response or failure.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up of 26 subjects receiving ONS for chronic refractory headaches over an average of 41 months.
- Assessment of headache frequency, quality of life scores, and adverse events.
- Analysis of potential correlations between treatment outcomes and disease duration or prior treatment history.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in headache frequency and improvement in quality of life scores observed in 17 treated patients.
- A "very good" response rate of 34% was recorded among responders.
- Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 42% of patients but were generally not severe.
- No clear relationship between disease duration and treatment failure was identified.
Conclusions:
- Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) can be an effective treatment option for selected patients with chronic refractory headaches.
- Treatment success may be influenced by the number of prior preventive medications attempted, rather than disease duration.
- Adverse events associated with ONS are relatively common but typically manageable.
