Comparison of Greater Occipital Nerve Blockade and Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade in Patients with Episodic Migraine

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 13; no. 11; p. 3027
• Main Authors: Unal, Hanzade Aybuke, Basarı, Ahmet, Celiker, Opal Sezgi, Cakar Turhan, Keziban Sanem, Asik, Ibrahim, Ozgencil, Gungor Enver
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Analgesics; Beta blockers; Care and treatment; Comorbidity; Comparative analysis; Cotton; Disease prevention; Drug therapy; Ganglia, Autonomic; Ganglionic blocking agents; headache; Headaches; Health aspects; Medical treatment; Migraine; Nerve block; Nerves, Spinal; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Pain; Patients; Questionnaires; sphenopalatine ganglion block; Testing; Turkey
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113027

Objectives: Compare the effects of greater occipital nerve (GON) and sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) blocks on headache intensity and duration, number of headache days, and disability in patients with episodic migraine. Methods: In this prospective single-blind randomized study, patients with episodic migraine were randomly divided into two groups: GON and SPG block groups. Patients received blocks once a week for 4 weeks, and once a month for 2 months. The number of headache days, the headache duration, numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, and number of acute medical treatments were assessed before the procedures and 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months after the procedures. Disability was evaluated using the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire at baseline and 3 months after treatment. This study protocol is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06243874.). Results: 19 patients in the GON block group and 18 patients in the SPG block group were evaluated. Significant improvements in pain severity, headache duration, number of headache days, and the need for acute medical treatment were observed in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months compared to baseline in the two groups (p < 0.001). There were significant improvements in the MIDAS scores in the third month (p < 0.001). The GON block group showed a greater reduction in headache intensity, duration, number of headache days, and MIDAS scores compared to the SPG block group in the 3rd month (p < 0.001). Conclusions: GON block reduces headache duration, intensity, the number of headache days, and the need for acute medical treatment much more than SPG block in patients with episodic migraine.