Dr Michał Chartytonowicz Chirurg Plastyk
2016-03-02

Surgical treatment of migraine headaches

Migraine is a very common condition. Its symptoms include pain of varying severity located in one area of the head. It may be accompanied by vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to sound (phonophobia) and light (photophobia). An attack may last from a few hours to a few days. Chronic migraine is diagnosed when migraine symptoms are severe and persist longer than 15 days in a month.
A video explaining what migraine is can be found here

Pharmacological treatment of migraine

Traditional treatment of migraine includes conservative measures. Two types of medications are used most frequently – painkillers to relieve the attacks and other drugs to prevent them. A migraine attack may also be stopped by using the so-called nerve block, or injection of a local anesthetic in the area of the trigger point.

Plastic surgery and treatment of migraines

In 2000, Dr Bahman Guyuron, an American plastic surgeon, noticed that many patients undergoing certain surgical procedures performed for aesthetic reasons and suffering from chronic migraines report a significant improvement or even resolution of their symptoms. The above discovery enabled him to identify the so-called trigger points which are responsible for the onset of migraine symptoms. He has also pioneered therapy with botulinum toxin (for Botox and migraine treatment click here) as a method offering long-term remission of chronic migraine symptoms.

Surgical treatment of migraine headaches

Migraine surgery involves deactivation of trigger points. There are 4 main trigger points responsible for the onset of migraine headache:
glabella area – symptoms caused by the stimulation of the supraorbital nerve and supratrochlear nerve
temporal area – symptoms caused by the stimulation of the zygomaticotemporal branch of the trigeminal nerve
nasal septum
occipital area – stimulation of the greater occipital nerve.

The treatment starts from the identification of trigger points causing the patient's headaches. The surgery may involve deactivation of all or selected trigger points.
Migraine surgery brings a long-lasting effect in the form of complete resolution of symptoms or a significant decrease in the frequency of migraine attacks.

If you are a patient suffering from a chronic migraine you may book a consultation at the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Prof. W. Orlowski Memorial Hospital in Warsaw or you may contact us by email.

If the topic is interesting to you and you have more questions, please write to michal.charytonowicz@gmail.com or contact me via the website.