title: Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias: beyond the conventional treatments.
abstract: The trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias include cluster headache, paroxysmal hemicrania, short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks, and hemicrania continua. While the majority responds to conventional pharmacological treatments, a small but significant proportion of patients are intractable to these treatments. In these cases, alternative choices for these patients include oral and injectable drugs, lesional or resectional surgery, and neurostimulation. The evidence base for conventional treatments is limited, and the evidence for those used beyond convention is more so. At present, the most evidence exists for nerve blocks, deep brain stimulation, occipital nerve stimulation, sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation in chronic cluster headache, and microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve in short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks.
authors: Headache Group, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Miller
authors: Manjit
authors: M
authors: Matharu
mesh_terms: D001340:Autonomic Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D061145:Microvascular Decompression Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D051303:Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists