Surgical Options for Migraine: An Overview

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this manuscript was to provide a comprehensive review of the surgical treatment for migraine headaches with a focus on trigger points and their clinical presentations, and to emphasize the importance of appropriate patient selection.

Background: Migraine is a prevalent neurological disease with headache being a disabling component of it. Surgical treatment for migraine headache became available two decades ago, which is based on proper identification and the deactivation of the specific trigger sites in the head and neck area.

Design: This manuscript reviews the discovery and evolution of migraine surgery with changes in patients' selection throughout the years.

Conclusion: Patients with migraine headaches who do not respond or cannot tolerate the medical treatment might benefit from trigger site deactivation surgery. The success of the surgery is closely related to proper identification of trigger point (s) and close collaboration with a neurologist or a headache specialist. This collaboration would enhance patients' positive outcomes and help to rule out other causes of the headache.

Keywords: Headache; migraine; migraine surgery; occipital nerve; peripheral; preventive; trigeminal nerve; trigger points.