title: Long-term outcomes of occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraine: a cohort of 53 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic migraine affects up to 2 % of the general population and has a substantial impact on sufferers. Occipital nerve stimulation has been investigated as a potentially effective treatment for refractory chronic migraine. Results from randomised controlled trials and open label studies have been inconclusive with little long-term data available.
  
  
  METHODS
  The long-term efficacy, functional outcome and safety of occipital nerve stimulation was evaluated in an uncontrolled, open-label, prospective study of 53 intractable chronic migraine patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three patients were implanted in a single centre between 2007 and 2013. Patients had a mean age of 47.75 years (range 26-70), had suffered chronic migraine for around 12 years and had failed a mean of 9 (range 4-19) preventative treatments prior to implant. Eighteen patients had other chronic headache phenotypes in addition to chronic migraine. After a median follow-up of 42.00 months (range 6-97) monthly moderate-to-severe headache days (i.e. days on which pain was more than 4 on the verbal rating score and lasted at least 4 h) reduced by 8.51 days (p < 0.001) in the whole cohort, 5.80 days (p < 0.01) in those with chronic migraine alone and 12.16 days (p < 0.001) in those with multiple phenotypes including chronic migraine. Response rate of the whole group (defined as a >30 % reduction in monthly moderate-to-severe headache days) was observed in 45.3 % of the whole cohort, 34.3 % of those with chronic migraine alone and 66.7 % in those with multiple headache types. Mean subjective patient estimate of improvement was 31.7 %. Significant reductions were also seen in outcome measures such as pain intensity (1.34 points, p < 0.001), all monthly headache days (5.66 days, p < 0.001) and pain duration (4.54 h, p < 0.001). Responders showed substantial reductions in headache-related disability, affect scores and quality of life measures. Adverse event rates were favourable with no episodes of lead migration and only one minor infection reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occipital nerve stimulation may be a safe and efficacious treatment for highly intractable chronic migraine patients even after relatively prolonged follow up of a median of over 3 years.
authors.affiliation: Headache Group, Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: Headache Group, Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK. m.matharu@uclmail.net.
authors.forename: Manjit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matharu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronic migraine; Headache; Neurostimulation; Occipital nerve stimulation