New Intranasal Migraine Treatment Provides Sustained Relief

A new, minimally invasive treatment method known as intranasal sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block has been shown to provide sustained relief to sufferers of chronic migraines, according to a recent study.

Since migraine headaches are one of the most prevalent debilitating chronic illnesses in the US, and the costs of medicine and their side effects can often be overwhelming, researchers have constructed a breakthrough treatment to improve a patient’s quality of life.
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In a study of the method’s safety and efficacy, researchers evaluated 112 participants who suffered from migraine or cluster headaches. They had patients report the severity of their headaches based on a visual analogue scale (VAS), which ranges from 1 to 10.

Participants displayed an average VAS score of 8.25. On average, patients had scores greater than 4 on at least 15 days of the month.

During the treatment period, researchers inserted a long, thin catheter through the nasal passages of participants and administered lidocaine (4%) to the bundle of nerves behind the nose—known as the sphenopalatine ganglion—which is associated with migraines.

The day after the procedure, researchers discovered that patients VAS scores decreased significantly from 8.25 to an average of 4.10. Further, 30 days post-procedure showed that patients experienced a mean score of 5.25, which is a 36% decrease from their migraine debilitation before treatment.

Overall, 88% of participants reported that they needed less or no migraine medication at all for current relief.

“Administration of lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion acts as a ‘reset button’ for the brain’s migraine circuitry,” said Kenneth Mandato, MD, the lead researchers of the study and interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Center.

“When the initial numbing of the lidocaine wears off, the migraine trigger seems to no longer have the maximum effect that it once did. Some patients have reported immediate relief and are making fewer trips to the hospital for emergency headache medicine,” he said.

Mandato and colleagues further noted that while patients reported significant relief from their migraine symptoms, the SPG block is not a cure for migraines and only acts as a temporary solution.

The researchers will conduct future studies to track how the participants have responded after 6 months of post treatment.

The complete study was presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

Society of Interventional Radiology. Image-guided treatment shown to break the migraine cycle. February 28, 2015. www.sirweb.org/news/newsPDF/Release_ASM15_headaches77_21815_final.pdf. Accessed March 3, 2015.