A new interventional radiology treatment could provide relief for chronic migraine sufferers.
Researchers used a technique called "image-guided, intranasal sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) blocks" to reduce headaches in individuals who suffer from migraines and allow them to take less medication, the Society of Interventional Radiology reported.
"Migraine headaches are one of the most common, debilitating diseases in the Unites States, and the cost and side effects of medicine to address migraines can be overwhelming," said Kenneth Mandato, the study's lead researcher and an interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Center. "Intranasal sphenopalatine ganglion blocks are image-guide, targeted, breakthrough treatments. They offer a patient-centered therapy that has the potential to break the migraine cycle and quickly improve patients' quality of life."
The researchers looked at 112 patients suffering migraine or cluster headaches, who reported the severity of their symptoms on a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from one to 10. During the minimally invasive treatment the researchers inserted a "spaghetti-sized" catheter into the patients' nasal passages and administered lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion, which is a nerve bundle in the nose that has been linked to migraines.
Before the novel treatment the patients reported an average VAS score of 8.25, and had scored greater than 4 at least 15 days per month; the day after the SPG block patients' VAS scores were reduced by half, leaving them at an aver of 4.10. Thirty days after the procedure the patients reported a 36 percent reduction in pain severity compared to pre-treatment, and 88 percent of the patients said they required less medication to deal with their headaches.
"Administration of lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion acts as a 'reset button' for the brain's migraine circuitry," Mandato said. "When the initial numbing of the lidocaine wears off, the migraine trigger seems to no longer have the maximum effect that it once did. Some patients have reported immediate relief and are making fewer trips to the hospital for emergency headache medicine."
The researchers believe the treatment is safe enough to be repeated if necessary. In the future, the team will track how 112 patients have responded six months following the treatments; a double-blind, prospective study is also being considered.
The findings are being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's Annual Scientific Meeting.
