Treatment of medically intractable migraine with greater occipital nerve decompression combined with selective superficial temporal artery ligation.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of greater occipital nerve decompression combined with selective superficial temporal artery ligation for treatment of medically intractable migraine. Methods and Results Clinical data of 19 patients with medically intractable migraine treated by greater occipital nerve decompression combined with selective superficial temporal artery ligation were retrospectively analyzed from January 2018 to June 2019. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) were used to evaluated efficacy of the operation. The mean duration in hospital was (3.00 ± 0.67) d. Nineteen patients with preoperative syndrome such as vomiting, nausea, photophobia and phonophobia disappeared after surgery. The degree of pain was evaluated on the first day after operation, 17 patients with 0 score, two patients with one to three score according to postoperative VAS. Nineteen patients with I level according to postoperative MIDAS. There was a significant difference of pain degree before and after the operation (VAS: Z = - 5.559, P = 0.000; MIDAS: Z = - 5.808, P = 0.000). None occurred surgical incision infection. Conclusions Greater occipital nerve decompression combined with selective superficial temporal artery ligation presents an excellent clinical effect in patients with medically intractable migraine, and also, it is a safe and micro-invasion procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]