Nerve surgery can help some people fight severe migraines

Key recommendations

Nerve decompression surgery can help relieve migraine symptoms. Surgery is associated with fewer headache days per month. The procedure also decreases the frequency, intensity and duration of migraine attacks.

MONDAY, June 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Nerve surgery can reduce the number of headache days for people who suffer from frequent migraines, a new review suggests.

The procedure may also decrease the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks, according to results published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

“Our study adds new evidence that headache surgery improves both sets of measures, providing a more comprehensive assessment of the outcomes of headache surgery,” said researcher Dr. Jeffrey Janis, professor of plastic surgery, surgery, neurosurgery and neurology at Ohio State University. states Wexner University Medical Center.

Migraine surgery aims to relieve nerve compression at trigger sites in the head and neck, the researchers explained. This pressure is thought to contribute to headaches.

Neurologists evaluating migraine treatments tend to focus on whether they reduce the number of days a person has headaches, Janis said.

On the other hand, plastic surgeons who perform headache surgery typically use an index that assesses the frequency, intensity and duration of migraines, Janis added.

“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,” Janis noted in a journal news release.

For this review, the researchers decided to consider both ways of evaluating the effectiveness of migraine surgery so that both groups of professionals could find common ground about the procedure.

Researchers reviewed 19 studies of headache surgery between 2005 and 2020 involving more than 1,600 patients.

Patients experienced an average of 14 fewer headache days per month following migraine surgery, the researchers found.

Moreover, total migraine attacks decreased by almost nine days per month. Surgery also reduced migraine intensity and duration without major complications.

The study “demonstrates the efficacy of headache surgery on outcomes used in both the (plastic surgery) and neurology literature,” the researchers concluded.

“We hope our study will help promote joint communication between plastic surgeons and neurologists in evaluating the effects of headache surgery for patients with chronic headaches,” Janis said. “Future studies of headache surgery should routinely include data on monthly migraine days to better compare the outcomes of surgical and medical treatments.”

More information

Mount Sinai Health System has more about migraine surgery.

SOURCE: Wolters Kluwer Health, press release, May 30, 2024

What does this mean for you?

People who suffer from frequent migraines should talk to their doctor about whether headache surgery can help.

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