Septorhinoplasty as a treatment modality in refractory migraine headaches

Migraine headaches are fairly common among people throughout the world with many treatment modalities. The cornerstone of treatment has been traditionally medical treatment which is mostly symptomatic and needs to be repeated. A few surgical procedures have been proposed which eliminate the inciting factor, and septorhinoplasty is one of them. Between October 2001 and August 2004, 24 patients suffering from migraine headaches, underwent septorhinoplasty at 15th Khordad Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Our inclusion criteria were refractory migraine, contact points demonstrated by computed tomography scan, and significant headache improvement after topical anesthesia to the contact area. Reduced severity and frequency of migraine headaches were documented which is statistically significant (p < 0.05). Septorhinoplasty in selected patients with contact points could reduce frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks.