Comparison of two ultrasound-guided techniques for greater occipital nerve injections in chronic migraine: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial
Abstract
Background and objectives Two ultrasound (US)-guided techniques for greater occipital nerve (GON) block have been described for the management of headache disorders: a “proximal or central” technique targeting the GON at the level of the second cervical vertebra and a “distal or peripheral” technique targeting the GON at the level of the superior nuchal line. In this multicenter, prospective, randomized control trial, we compared accuracy, effectiveness, and safety of these two techniques in patients with chronic migraines (CMs). Methods Forty patients with refractory CMs were randomized to receive either a proximal or distal US-guided GON block with bupivacaine and methylprednisolone acetate. The primary outcome was the difference in Numerical Rating Score (NRS) for headache intensity at 1 month. Secondary outcomes were effectiveness, performance, and safety-related. Effectiveness-related outcomes included NRS for headache intensity, number of headache days per week, patient satisfaction, quality of life, assessment of sleep quality, and sleep interruption. Performance-related outcomes included procedure time, accuracy of block, and patient discomfort. Safety-related outcomes included an assessment for adverse effects. Results NRS pain scores were significantly reduced at 24 hours and at 1 week postprocedure in both cohorts and at 1 and 3 months in the proximal group as compared with the baseline. There was no significant difference in NRS pain scores between the two…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.