Alternative ways of treating the “devastatingly” painful condition (CH) were urgently needed in the light of the failure of surgery to treat the problem, argue members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

CH, which is considered one of the most severe facial pain syndromes, typically begins with pain in around or above the eye or temple. The pain is at first sudden, deep and non-fluctuating but escalates in intensity and results in clusters of attacks that can last for weeks or months.

The researchers surgically implanted nine electrodes in eight patients who were suffering from CH.

They found that for all patients there was a progressive reduction in the number of daily attacks over an average of more than four weeks.

All of the patients were pain-free at follow-up intervals of 2 to 26 months. Three of the subjects remained pain-free without medication while the remaining five required only low doses of drugs.

The study’s authors reported that there were no side effects from the treatment and no complications from the implanted procedure.

Dr Angelo Franzini, co-author of the study, said, “The hypothalamic stimulation treatment is a safe and effective alternative for treatment of drug-resistant chronic cluster headaches.

“The procedure does not cause any of the unwanted side effects associated with surgical procedures.”

Source: American Association of Neurological Surgeons

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