title: Cervicogenic headache. Smith/Robinson approach in bilateral cases.
abstract: The aim was to follow the postoperative fate of cervicogenic headache (CEH) patients with a hard-to-treat, bilateral headache, operated upon by the Smith/Robinson procedure, a stabilization and decompression operation in the cervical spine. CEH is a typically unilateral headache, but in this study, bilateral cases were deliberately selected (n=28). The patients were, otherwise, diagnosed according to the Cervicogenic Headache International Study Group (CHISG) CEH criteria. In most cases, the discs C(4-5), C(5-6) and C(6-7) were affected, and one or two discs were removed by anterior approach; an interbody fusion was carried out. Immediately postoperatively - up to 2-3 months - there was pain freedom. Secondary deterioration was reported to us in 10 patients, in nine of whom it occurred within three years. The remaining 18 patients were followed up for 2-100 months; the mean duration of improvement was 22.7 months. Bilateral, Smith/Robinson operated CEH patients seemed to fare as well as unilateral ones.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Georg-August Universität, Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Jürgen
authors: J
authors: Jansen
authors: Ottar
authors: O
authors: Sjaastad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D009407:Nerve Block; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000150:complications; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000209:etiology; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome