title: Cervicogenic headache: interventional, anesthetic, and ablative treatment.
abstract: Cervicogenic headache is becoming an accepted clinical syndrome in which headache pain is thought to originate from the cervical spine. Unfortunately, there are no diagnostic imaging techniques of the cervical spine and associated structures that can determine the exact source of pain. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment are based on the major accepted criteria of clinical presentation and the use of diagnostic nerve blocks to identify the source of the pain generator before considering further interventional or neuroablative treatment. This suggests that consistent reproducible anatomic and neurophysiologic pathways exist for the reproduction of typical clinical pain patterns and the ability of neuroblockade to consistently interrupt these pain pathways. This article describes the essential anatomy required to understand the use of diagnostic nerve blocks, and their predictive value in anticipating response to neuroablative and interventional therapy with a review of the major interventional, anesthetic, and ablative techniques for cervicogenic headache.
authors.affiliation: Michigan Head Pain & Neurological Institute, 3120 Professional Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA. LBriggs@mhni.com
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects; D001269:Atlanto-Occipital Joint / Q000294:innervation; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000294:innervation; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000009:adverse effects; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000503:physiopathology; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000009:adverse effects; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000009:adverse effects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology