Study Finds Surgery May Cure Migraines

November 9, 2006
In an unprecedented study, plastic surgeons discovered that 90 percent of migraine sufferers reported overall elimination or a considerable decrease in the intensity and frequency of headaches after undergoing surgical treatment.

“Roughly 10 percent of the population suffers from sever migraine headaches—until now there has been no treatment to completely eliminate them,” said Bahman Guyuron, study author and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Details of the Study

In the randomized, placebo-controlled study, 76 participants who suffered from severe migraines were thoroughly evaluated by neurologists and plastic surgeons.

Twenty-six of the patients were enrolled in the placebo-controlled surgery group, while 50 underwent surgical treatment involving the removal of small portions of muscle or a minor nerve, which helped significantly release inflammation and nerve compression.

“Elements of this procedure involved modifications of plastic surgery techniques traditionally used to minimize facial wrinkles,” Dr. Guyuron said. “In fact, this research began when several of my patients mentioned that their headaches had disappeared after forehead rejuvenation.”

Conclusion

Researchers found that severe migraine sufferers who received surgical treatment experienced a major decrease in the frequency or severity of their headaches in comparison to the placebo group.

Furthermore, one year following the surgery, 90 percent of the patients surgically treated reported a significant reduction or complete elimination of migraines.

“This is a randomized, placebo-controlled study which provides the strongest scientific evidence that this treatment is safe and effective,” said Dr. Guyuron. “We are now ready to train physicians across the country so this can become standard practice.”

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