title: Occipital neurostimulation in primary headaches: update.
abstract: A subset of headache patients are chronic and results refractory to standard medical treatments, they are unsatisfied or unable to tolerate the side effects of medications. In the lack of more effective prophylactic treatment, there is need of alternative approach. Migraine is conceptualized as a chronic and potentially progressive disorder. It is conceivable that more aggressive therapeutic efforts could be warranted in drug-refractory chronic migraine. In this prospective, the new, device-based therapies that allow to affect brain function in less invasive ways may represent a therapeutic opportunity. Peripheral occipital neurostimulation resulted in several trials and case reports to be beneficial in a large variety of headache and craniofacial pain disorders, with chronic primary headache the most studied. We comment on our experience in the application of ONS in drug-refractory chronic cluster headache and chronic migraine patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Headache Centre, Neurological Institute IRCCS C.Besta Foundation, Via Celoria, 11, 20133 Milan, Italy. proietti.a@istituto-besta.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Proietti Cecchini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tullo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Fiore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bussone
mesh_terms: D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans