An innovative method using interventional radiology has been shown to be effective in significantly relieving pain in patients suffering from chronic migraines. Such information is presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Interventional Radiology.
The American specialists used a treatment called image-guided intranasal pterygopalatine ganglion blocking, which provided patients with significant pain relief, resulting in fewer medications needed to relieve migraine pain.
"Migraine is one of the most common debilitating diseases, and the cost and side effects of migraine medications are sometimes horrendous," said Kenneth Mandato, lead author of the study.
Also, Kenneth Mandato added that they have found a treatment that can break the migraine cycle and improve the patient's quality of life.
Mandato and his colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 112 patients suffering from migraine or cluster headaches. Patients rated the severity of their headaches on a scale of 1 to 10. During treatment, which is minimally invasive and does not involve the use of needles, researchers inserted spaghetti-sized catheters through the nasal passage and injected a 4 percent lidocaine solution into the pterygopalatine ganglion, a bundle of nerves located behind the nose and associated with migraines.
Before treatment, patients experienced an average pain score of 8.25, with a headache of more than 4 on at least 15 days per month. After blocking the pterygopalatine ganglion, the intensity of the patients' headache decreased by half. Thirty days after the procedure, the average pain score of the patients was 5.25 points - the pain decreased by 36%. In addition, 88% of patients said they needed less medication or no medication at all to further reduce pain.
Injected into the pterygopalatine ganglion, lidocaine acts as a reset button for the migraine brain circuit. When the initial numbness after lidocaine wears off, the cause of the migraine is no longer as severe as it used to be. Due to the non-invasive nature of the procedure and the drug's safety profile, blockage of the pterygopalatine ganglion can be repeated if necessary.
Dr. Mandato also noted that this method does not cure migraine, it is a temporary solution for chronic headaches.
Source estet-portal.com
Add a comment