Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Nov;27(11):645-651.
doi: 10.1007/s11916-023-01132-3. Epub 2023 Aug 23.

Neuromodulation for the Sphenopalatine Ganglion-a Narrative Review

Taehong Lim  1 , Stephen Anderson  2 , Robert Stocum  3 , Karen Ren  3 , Winston Singleton  3 , Jayesh Vallabh  2 , Kristen Noon  3 , Tristan Weaver  4
Affiliations
Review

Neuromodulation for the Sphenopalatine Ganglion-a Narrative Review

Taehong Lim et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose of review: To provide an integrated overview of the current state of knowledge of neuromodulation for the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) by reviewing relevant and significant literature.

Recent findings: There are several case reports and clinical trials evaluating neuromodulation for the SPG. We identified two blinded, randomized clinical trials for patients with chronic cluster headache. The randomized trials and additional studies demonstrated the long-term safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of neuromodulation for the SPG. Recent studies in Europe and the USA suggest that SPG neuromodulation is a novel modality with clinical importance for treating acute cluster headaches and reducing the frequency of attacks.

Keywords: Cluster headache; Neuromodulation; Neurostimulation; Pterygopalatine ganglion; Sphenopalatine ganglion; Trigeminal autonomic cephalagias.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ho KWD, Przkora R, Kumar S. Sphenopalatine ganglion: block, radiofrequency ablation and neurostimulation - a systematic review. J Headache Pain. 2017;18(1):118. - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Robbins MS, Robertson CE, Kaplan E, Ailani J, Charleston L, Kuruvilla D, et al. The sphenopalatine ganglion: anatomy, pathophysiology, and therapeutic targeting in headache. Headache J Head Face Pain. 2016;56(2):240–58. - DOI
    1. Hainer BL, Matheson EM. Approach to acute headache in adults. Am Fam Physician. 2013;87(10):682–7. - PubMed
    1. Goadsby PJ. Pathophysiology of cluster headache: a trigeminal autonomic cephalgia. Lancet Neurol. 2002;1(4):251–7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tepper SJ, Caparso A. Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG): stimulation mechanism, safety, and efficacy. Headache. 2017;57(Suppl 1):14–28. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources