Electrical stimulation in headache treatment. For separate headache(s) or for headache generally?
Two cases of unilateral, severe headache were treated with epidural/epicranial electrical stimulation, with an immediate and most favorable response. One patient suffered from cervicogenic headache (CEH), while the headache in the other one showed some similarity to Hemicrania continua (HC): unilaterality and some localized, ipsilateral autonomic phenomena. But, there were also sufficient features to alienate this picture decisively from HC: poor response to indomethacin and, frequently, excruciatingly severe pain. In the CEH patient, the electrode was anchored at the posterior, bony end of the foramen magnum. In case 2, it was placed above and anterior to the symptomatic side ear, i.e. at the point of maximal pain. The headache in the latter patient may be termed: "non-indomethacinresponsive chronic hemicrania", which may not be a rare headache. In both patients, the spectacular improvement has continued for the whole post-operative period, i.e. for around five years and 11 months, respectively.
Sjaastad
O
O
Department of Neurology, St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway. ellhed@online.no
Fredriksen
Torbjorn
T
Jorgensen
Jan V
JV
D000328:Adult; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051298:Post-Traumatic Headache / Q000628:therapy