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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Migraine headaches are a drain not only on the estimated 30 million Americans who suffer from them, but on the economy, as well. An estimated $13 billion is spent every year on headache treatment and time lost from work. According to a new study, there is hope for migraine sufferers who cannot find relief in conventional remedies.
"Nearly one out of four households, including 18 percent of women, suffer from migraines and many patients are not only eager, but desperate to stop the pain," study author Bahman Guyuron, MD, professor and chairman, department of plastic surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center was quoted as saying. "In this study, we've shown that surgical treatment of migraine headaches is safe, effective, and that this reasonably short operation can have a colossal impact on the patients' quality of life all while eliminating signs of aging for some patients, too."
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For nearly a decade, researchers have been testing the concept that migraines occur when a person's trigeminal nerve branches are irritated. When the muscles around these branches are incapacitated, the headaches stop, which is why some patients have found relief from the 'freezing' effect of Botox. However, according to this study, removal of these muscles, or 'triggers,' offers an easily attainable and permanent fix.
In a double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial, researchers (including a plastic surgeon and two neurologists) from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, identified the three most common trigger sites and then randomly assigned 75 patients to either the actual surgery (49 patients) or sham surgery (26 patients) groups. Patients completed questionnaires and underwent either a real or perceived deactivation operation on their predominant migraine trigger site an operation which for most patients was similar to a traditional forehead lift.
One year later, 83 percent of the actual surgery group observed at least a 50 percent reduction in migraines, with 57 percent reporting complete elimination of migraines. Only 4 percent in the sham surgery group reported elimination of migraines. While there was a high (57 percent) incidence of symptom improvement reported in the sham surgery group, which could be attributed to the placebo effect, among other thingsresearchers point out that the difference in migraine improvement and elimination reported by the two groups was statistically significant.
"Though one might not think to look to plastic surgeons to treat migraines, we are commonly involved in peripheral nerve surgery and treat nerve-related pain, so this is a meaningful addition to the field of reconstructive plastic surgery," said Dr. Guyuron. "And I can say that these procedures are the most rewarding for me, because these are the patients who come back and report that their lives have been changed."
SOURCE: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, July 30, 2009
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com
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