Dados do Trabalho

Título

The efficacy of greater occipital nerve block for the treatment of migraine: a subjective evaluation and report of 31 patients

Resumo

Introduction: Migraine is the most common type of primary headache in outpatient clinics, even in the emergency room. With their debilitating crises that often end up invalidating the individual in their full work activity. An example of a treatment that has been extensively studied today is the occipital nerve block, which has shown to be quite promising. The greater occipital nerve (GON) is responsible for the cutaneous sensory innervation of the occipital and suboccipital regions. Recent research has shown that it also actively participates in brain nociceptive modulation, acting directly, together with the trigeminal nerve, on secondary nociceptive neurons located at the level of the brainstem. Objectives: Evaluate the efficacy of GON-block in the treatment of migraine. Methodology: The model of this study was a survey research, involving patients diagnosed with migraine. These patients were treated with GON-block. The instrument of data collection comprehends a questionnaire made through telephone calls, and was prepared with the aid of two sources: the medical records of the reference unit and relevant data from other research in the area. Results: The sample size presented a number (n) of 31 participants diagnosed with migraine, with a predominance of female patients (93.5%, n = 29). Concerning the age, the average was 38 years. In the survey, 93.5% (n = 29) reported pain relief after the procedure. Among these, they were asked to rate verbally their average pain relief on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. The average on the headache relief scale was 7.5, and 77.4% (n = 24) reported a relief greater than 6 points. The onset time for symptom relief was less than 48 hours for 45.1% (n = 14), with an average duration of 54 days. In the sample, 25.8% (n = 8) reported side effects, that include dizziness, holocranial headache and edema. Finally, 37 participants answered that they would do the procedure again. Conclusion: Greater occipital nerve block has proven to be an effective treatment method when properly indicated. However, further randomized controlled trials are needed to better assess the evidence of efficacy in the treatment of migraine.

Palavras Chave

Migraine, GON-block, headache.