Migraine Surgery Found Effective For Teens With Severe Headaches

Migraines can be excruciating. Sometimes they can even prevent you from going through your regular routine.

Fortunately, for teens who are dealing with severe migraines that don't respond to typical treatments, a young migraine surgery may be beneficial.

"Our data demonstrate that surgery for refractory migraine headaches in the adolescent population may improve and potentially completely ameliorate symptoms for some," researchers of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) noted, in a news release.

The surgery works via "tigger sites" in the nerve branches that produce headaches, identified by preoperative evaluation. Based on a constellation of symptoms, trigger sites are detected, including nerve blocks, ultrasound doppler and CT scans. 

The surgery was conducted in 14 patients under the age of 18; some had reduced headache activity after undergoing cosmetic forehead procedures from 2000. All patients experienced debilitating migraine attacks that continued despite recommended medications, including 11 females and three males, the average of 16 years old. Average follow-up was about three years, and at least one year in all patients.

Findings revealed that the surgery was highly effective in reducing migraines. In fact, the average headache frequency decreased from 25 per month before surgery to five per month afterward. Average migraine severity score then decreased from 8.2 to 4.3 on a ten-point scale.

Average migraine times also decreased from about 12 to 4 hours. Furthermore, five of the 14 patients were even migraine-free following surgery, while one patient had no change in migraine frequency but less attacks over shorter periods.

"Identifying the adolescent patient who would benefit from surgery is the most important aspect of surgical intervention," Surgeon Bahman Guyuron, MD, Emeritus professor of plastic surgery at Case School of Medicine, Cleveland, and colleagues noted.

They also emphasized the need for "more in-depth and prospective studies" to confirm the effectiveness of migraine surgery, and to weigh the risks and benefits of surgery for younger patients.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 

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