Peripheral nerve decompression as a surgical treatment for migraine

Project summary

In 2000 a strong correlation was discovered between the removal of one of the front muscles of the eyebrow and a significant improvement (even disappearance) of the symptoms in migraine. The hypothesis is that by relieving stressed sensory nerves outside the skull, the migraine attacks are less provoked or triggered. Since then, several surgical techniques have been developed to decompress sensitive extracranial nerves by removing muscle, fascia, bone and or blood vessels. The results are promising.
With the above-mentioned project, this project focuses on a well-known form of under-treatment: many patients with migraine do not benefit from current care, which can have a major negative impact on the quality of life. This research wants to determine the effect of the new procedure with a cohort in Dutch patients, so that a new treatment method may become available for patients who have not been helped with regular care.

If the result is positive, Erasmus MC aims to include the treatment in the migraine headache treatment protocol.