Greater occipital nerve blockade in cervicogenic headache

Greater occipital nerve block in the treatment of headaches. Review of evidence

INTRODUCTION

Peripheral nerve blocks have been a common treatment for multiple headaches. By far, the greater occipital nerve block is the most used and with the stronger body of evidence in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed Meta-Analysis/Systematic Review, in the last 10 years. Of these results, meta-analyses, and in the absence of these systematic reviews, assessing Greater Occipital Nerve Block in headache has been selected for review.

RESULTS

We identified 95 studies in Pubmed, 13 that met the inclusion criteria.

CONCLUSION

Greater occipital block is an effective and safe technique, easy to perform and which has shown its usefulness in migraine, cluster headache, cervicogenic headache and Post-dural puncture headache. However, more studies are needed to clarify its long-term efficacy, its place in clinical treatment, the possible difference between different anaesthetics, the most convenient dosage and the role of concomitant use of corticosteroids.

Myofascial Temporomandibular Disorders at a Turning Point: Pragmatic or Evidence-Based Management?

Unvalidated theories have been proposed for the etiopathogenesis of masticatory myofascial temporomandibular disorders (mTMD). Modalities such as cone-beam computed tomography/computed tomography and MRI contributes little to the diagnosis of mTMD. Diagnosing mTMD is based on the recognition of "familiar pain" presentation in the masticatory myofascial tissue. This assessment tool contributes little our understanding of the underlying disease process. Thus, management of mTMD is empirical and arbitrary. Exploring emerging technologies to identify biomarkers and objectively assess myofascial tissue physiology in disease and health may be key in moving the diagnosis of mTMD from the pragmatic paradigm to an evidence-based paradigm.

Nonsurgical Treatment of Neuralgia and Cervicogenic Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background:

Extracranial compression of peripheral sensory nerves is one of many origins of chronic headaches. Identifying these patients can be difficult, and they are often diagnosed with neuralgia or cervicogenic headache. The recent literature provides the outcomes of surgical decompression in patients with these headaches. This study aimed to give an overview of the current literature on the nonsurgical treatment options and to evaluate the effectiveness of these treatments in patients with neuralgia and cervicogenic headache.

Methods:

Databases were searched to identify all published clinical studies investigating nonsurgical treatment outcomes in patients with neuralgia or cervicogenic headaches. Studies that reported numerical pain scores, nonnumerical pain scores, headache-free days, or the number of adverse events after nonsurgical treatment were included.

Results:

A total of 22 articles were included in qualitative analysis. The majority of studies included patients who received injection therapy. Treatment with oral analgesics achieved good results in only 2.5% of the patients. Better outcomes were reported in patients who received local anesthetics injection (79%) and corticosteroid injection (87%). Treatment with botulinum toxin injection yielded the highest percentage of good results (97%; 95% CI, 0.81–1.00). The duration of headache relief after injection therapy varied from 30 minutes to 5 months.

Conclusions:

The nonsurgical treatment of patients with neuralgia or cervicogenic headache is challenging. Injection therapy in patients with these types of headaches achieved good pain relief but only for a limited time. Surgical decompression may result in long-lasting pain relief and might be a more sustainable treatment option.

Role of Greater Occipital Nerve Block in Headache Disorders: A Narrative Review

Background

The proximity of sensory neurons in the upper cervical spinal cord to the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) neurons and the convergence of sensory input to TNC neurons from both cervical and trigeminal fibers underscore the rationale of using greater occipital nerve block (GON-block) for acute and preventive treatment in various headache disorders.

Objective

The aim of this study was to critically review the existing literature regarding the safety and efficacy of GON-block in various headache disorders.

Methods

We searched the eligible studies in English by searching in PubMed till December 31, 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational studies, open-label studies, case series, and case reports on the efficacy and the safety of GON-block for the treatment of headache disorders using the keywords "greater occipital nerve block", "headache" and "treatment". Studies using combination of GON-block and other peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) and C2/C3 blocks were excluded.

Results

Seventy-two eligible studies were reviewed. Based on RCTs and open-label studies, good evidence of the efficacy of GON-block was found for migraine, cluster headache (CH), post-dural puncture headache (PDPH), cervicogenic headache (CGH), and occipital neuralgia (ON). The analgesic effect of GON-block outlasted its anesthetic effect by days to weeks. Evidence for acute and short-term (transitional) treatment was more robust than for long-term prevention. GON-block was found to be safe and the treatment-emergent adverse effects (TEAEs) were generally mild and transient.

Conclusion

GON-block is a useful modality of treatment in various headache disorders because of many attractive features such as its early effect in reducing the severity of pain, sustained effect following a single injection, easy technique, minimum invasiveness, minimum TEAE, no drug-to-drug interactions, and negligible cost.

Efficacy and safety of greater occipital nerve block for the treatment of cervicogenic headache: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Cervicogenic headache (CGH) is a secondary headache disorder caused by cervical spine or neck soft tissue lesions. Despite few available evidence-based pharmacological treatments are available, greater occipital nerve blocks (GONBs) are considered as therapeutic option.

AREA COVERED

In June 2020, we conducted a systematic review on Pubmed and Scopus, to summarize effectiveness and safety of GONBs in treating CGH. We included 5 observational studies and 3 nonrandomized trials reporting clinical outcomes of 140 CGH patients after GONBs. Authors performed unilateral GONBs during interictal phase (five studies) or during pain, injecting local anesthetic (four studies) or both local anesthetic and steroid (three studies) at variable timepoints. In 5 studies mean pain reduction ranged from -8.2 (at 2 weeks after the first block) to -0.1 (at 1 month after the third block); one study documented 66.6% reduction of pain intensity and another study documented a significant median reduction of pain intensity at 3 months (decreased from 5.5 to 2.3) and not at 9 months. Three studies reported minor adverse events.

EXPERT OPINION

Few available studies suggest that GONBs are effective and safe in treating CGH. GONB is a high tolerable, low cost and repeatable procedure. Larger and randomized studies are needed.

[The efficacy of therapeutic nerve blocks in patients with cervicogenic headache]

AIM

To compare the efficacy of 2% articaine solution and 2% lidocaine solution used to perform therapeutic nerve blocks of the large occipital nerve in patients with cervicogenic headache.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A randomized prospective comparative clinical study was conducted in two groups treated with articaine (n=22) or lidocaine (n=21). The therapeutic great occipital nerve blocks were performed on the 1st, 3d and 5th days of treatment. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by the pain intensity measured with the Visual Analogue scale (VAS) and the duration of individual pain paroxysms on the 5th and 10th days.

RESULTS

The baseline VAS pain intensity was 6.3±1.2 and 5.9±2.0 centimeters, whereas the duration of individual pain paroxysms was 7.8±2.3 and 9.1±2.8 hours in the articaine group and the lidocaine group, respectively. By the 5th day, there was a more dramatically decrease in VAS pain intensity and duration in the articaine group (up to 3.0±0.8 and 4.3±1.2 centimeters VAS (p<0.05)) compared to the lidocaine group (up to 1.9±0.6 to 4.8±1.3 hours (p<0.05)). By the 10th day, the pain intensity did not differ between groups (1.2±0.5 and 1.7±0.7 centimeters (p>0.05)). The duration of pain episodes was still lower in the articaine group (0.5±0.08 hours) compared to the lidocaine group (2.4±0.8 hours) (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Therapeutic large occipital nerve blocks with 2% solution of articaine show the significant decrease in pain intensity and duration of pain paroxysms in a short period of time for patients with cervicogenic headache.

Ultrasound-guided greater occipital nerve block with botulinum toxin for patients with chronic headache in the occipital area: a randomized controlled trial

Background

Ultrasound-guided greater occipital nerve (GON) block has been frequently used to treat various types of headaches, and botulinum toxin has recently begun to be used in patients with headache. Our study presents the long-term effect of botulinum toxin on GON block using ultrasound in patients with chronic headache in occipital area.

Methods

Patients with occipital headache were divided into two groups (bupivacaine: BUP group [n = 27], botulinum toxin: BTX group [n = 27]), and ultrasound-guided GON block was performed at the C2 level. GON was detected with ultrasound and distance from GON to midline, from the skin surface to GON, and size of GON were measured in both groups. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Likert scale were assessed at pretreatment and at 1, 4, 8, and 24 weeks after treatment in both groups.

Results

The distance from GON to midline was 18.9 ± 4.4 mm (right) and 17.3 ± 3.8 mm (left). The depth from the skin was 12.9 ± 1.5 mm (right) and 13.4 ± 1.6 mm (left). GON size was 3.1 mm on both sides. The VAS score and patient satisfaction score (Likert scale) in 4, 8, and 24 weeks after injection were superior for the BTX than the BUP group.

Conclusions

Ultrasound-guided GON block using BTX is effective in reducing short-term and long-term pain in patients with chronic headache in the occipital area.

Comparison of two ultrasound-guided techniques for greater occipital nerve injections in chronic migraine: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial

Background and objectives

Two ultrasound (US)-guided techniques for greater occipital nerve (GON) block have been described for the management of headache disorders: a “proximal or central” technique targeting the GON at the level of the second cervical vertebra and a “distal or peripheral” technique targeting the GON at the level of the superior nuchal line. In this multicenter, prospective, randomized control trial, we compared accuracy, effectiveness, and safety of these two techniques in patients with chronic migraines (CMs).

Methods

Forty patients with refractory CMs were randomized to receive either a proximal or distal US-guided GON block with bupivacaine and methylprednisolone acetate. The primary outcome was the difference in Numerical Rating Score (NRS) for headache intensity at 1 month. Secondary outcomes were effectiveness, performance, and safety-related. Effectiveness-related outcomes included NRS for headache intensity, number of headache days per week, patient satisfaction, quality of life, assessment of sleep quality, and sleep interruption. Performance-related outcomes included procedure time, accuracy of block, and patient discomfort. Safety-related outcomes included an assessment for adverse effects.

Results

NRS pain scores were significantly reduced at 24 hours and at 1 week postprocedure in both cohorts and at 1 and 3 months in the proximal group as compared with the baseline. There was no significant difference in NRS pain scores between the two cohorts at any of the follow-up time points. There was a significant reduction in number of headache days per week at 1 month in both groups, and a significant improvement in sleep interruption at 1 week in both groups. There were no significant adverse effects.

Conclusions

This study was designed to compare two different US-guided approaches for blocking the GON. Our results demonstrate that both distal and proximal techniques can provide a short-term improvement in headache intensity, reduction in number of headache days per week, and an improvement in sleep interruption. The proximal GON technique may confer more sustained analgesic benefit compared with the distal approach in patients with CM headaches.

Trial registration number

NCT02031822.

Nerve block for the treatment of headaches and cranial neuralgias - a practical approach

BACKGROUND

Several studies have presented evidence that blocking peripheral nerves is effective for the treatment of some headaches and cranial neuralgias, resulting in reduction of the frequency, intensity, and duration of pain.

OBJECTIVES

In this article we describe the role of nerve block in the treatment of headaches and cranial neuralgias, and the experience of a tertiary headache center regarding this issue. We also report the anatomical landmarks, techniques, materials used, contraindications, and side effects of peripheral nerve block, as well as the mechanisms of action of lidocaine and dexamethasone.

CONCLUSIONS

The nerve block can be used in primary (migraine, cluster headache, and nummular headache) and secondary headaches (cervicogenic headache and headache attributed to craniotomy), as well in cranial neuralgias (trigeminal neuropathies, glossopharyngeal and occipital neuralgias). In some of them this procedure is necessary for both diagnosis and treatment, while in others it is an adjuvant treatment. The block of the greater occipital nerve with an anesthetic and corticosteroid compound has proved to be effective in the treatment of cluster headache. Regarding the treatment of other headaches and cranial neuralgias, controlled studies are still necessary to clarify the real role of peripheral nerve block.

Therapeutic options for cervicogenic headache

The term cervicogenic headache (CeH) describes a syndrome originating from the cervical spine. There are a variety of therapeutic approaches used for the management of CeH, but scientific evidence of their effectiveness is scarce. No medication drug has proven to be effective. The evidence for greater occipital nerve blocks, cervical nerve blockades, facet joint injections and surgical procedures is limited. Several physical therapy interventions are proposed for CeH, with spinal manipulation and soft tissue interventions being the most commonly used. However, the lack of solid evidence of positive effects and risks of serious complications for spinal manipulation should be considered in favor of other physical therapy interventions associated with less risk. The inconsistent results in the literature can be related to the fact that maybe not all therapeutic interventions are appropriate for all patients with CeH or maybe not all patients with CeH will benefit from particular interventions.

Expert consensus recommendations for the performance of peripheral nerve blocks for headaches--a narrative review

OBJECTIVE

To describe a standardized methodology for the performance of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) in the treatment of headache disorders.

BACKGROUND

PNBs have long been employed in the management of headache disorders, but a wide variety of techniques are utilized in literature reports and clinical practice.

METHODS

The American Headache Society Special Interest Section for PNBs and other Interventional Procedures convened meetings during 2010-2011 featuring formal discussions and agreements about the procedural details for occipital and trigeminal PNBs. A subcommittee then generated a narrative review detailing the methodology.

RESULTS

PNB indications may include select primary headache disorders, secondary headache disorders, and cranial neuralgias. Special procedural considerations may be necessary in certain patient populations, including pregnancy, the elderly, anesthetic allergy, prior vasovagal attacks, an open skull defect, antiplatelet/anticoagulant use, and cosmetic concerns. PNBs described include greater occipital, lesser occipital, supratrochlear, supraorbital, and auriculotemporal injections. Technical success of the PNB should result in cutaneous anesthesia. Targeted clinical outcomes depend on the indication, and include relief of an acute headache attack, terminating a headache cycle, and transitioning out of a medication-overuse pattern. Reinjection frequency is variable, depending on the indications and agents used, and the addition of corticosteroids may be most appropriate when treating cluster headache.

CONCLUSIONS

These recommendations from the American Headache Society Special Interest Section for PNBs and other Interventional Procedures members for PNB methodology in headache disorder treatment are derived from the available literature and expert consensus. With the exception of cluster headache, there is a paucity of evidence, and further research may result in the revision of these recommendations to improve the outcome and safety of these interventions.

Manual therapies for cervicogenic headache: a systematic review

This paper systematically reviewed randomized clinical trials (RCT) assessing the efficacy of manual therapies for cervicogenic headache (CEH). A total of seven RCTs were identified, i.e. one study applied physiotherapy ± temporomadibular mobilization techniques and six studies applied cervical spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). The RCTs suggest that physiotherapy and SMT might be an effective treatment in the management of CEH, but the results are difficult to evaluate, since only one study included a control group that did not receive treatment. Furthermore, the RCTs mostly included participant with infrequent CEH. Future challenges regarding CEH are substantial both from a diagnostic and management point of view.

Blocking the greater occipital nerve: utility in headache management

Occipital nerve block has been part of headache medicine for more than half a century, with injection techniques and solutions varying greatly. Most studies have been case series and many show benefit for patients with migraine, cluster headache, and postconcussive headache. A double-blind, controlled trial of cluster headache has demonstrated that injectable steroids with local anesthetics benefit cluster headache patients. A double-blind, controlled trial of nerve blocks in occipital neuralgia, which may have actually been chronic migraine, was positive.

Ultrasound-guided greater occipital nerve block for patients with occipital headache and short term follow up

BACKGROUND

The greater occipital nerve (GON) block has been frequently used for different types of headache, but performed with rough estimates of anatomic landmarks. Our study presents the values of the anatomic parameters and estimates the effectiveness of the ultrasound-guided GON blockade.

METHODS

The GON was detected using ultrasound technique and distance from external occipital protuberance (EOP) to GON, from GON to occipital artery and depth from skin to GON was measured in volunteers. Patients with occipital headache were divided into two groups (ultrasound-guided block: group S, conventional blind block: group B) and GON block was performed. The same parameters were measured on group S and VAS scores were assessed at pretreatment, 1 week and 4 weeks after treatment on both groups.

RESULTS

The GON had distance of 23.1 ± 3.4 mm (right) and 20.5 ± 2.8 mm (left) from EOP to GON. Its depth below the skin was 6.8 ± 1.5 mm (right) and 7.0 ± 1.3 mm (left). The distance from GON to occipital artery was 1.5 ± 0.6 mm (right) and 1.2 ± 0.6 mm (left) in volunteers. Initial VAS score of group S and group B patients were 6.4 ± 0.2 and 6.5 ± 0.2. VAS score of 4 weeks after injection were 2.3 ± 0.2 on group S and 3.8 ± 0.3 on group B (P = 0.0003).

CONCLUSIONS

The parameters measured in this study should be useful for GON block and ultrasound-guided blockade is likely to be a more effective technique than blind blockade in occipital headache treatment.

Peripheral nerve blocks and trigger point injections in headache management - a systematic review and suggestions for future research

Interventional procedures such as peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) and trigger point injections (TPIs) have long been used in the treatment of various headache disorders. There are, however, little data on their efficacy for the treatment of specific headache syndromes. Moreover, there is no widely accepted agreement among headache specialists as to the optimal technique of injection, type, and doses of the local anesthetics used, and injection regimens. The role of corticosteroids in this setting is also debated. We performed a PubMed search of the literature to find studies on PNBs and TPIs for headache treatment. We classified the abstracted studies based on the procedure performed and the treated condition. We found few controlled studies on the efficacy of PNBs for headaches, and virtually none on the use of TPIs for this indication. The most widely examined procedure in this setting was greater occipital nerve block, with the majority of studies being small and non-controlled. The techniques, as well as the type and doses of local anesthetics used for nerve blockade, varied greatly among studies. The specific conditions treated also varied, and included both primary (eg, migraine, cluster headache) and secondary (eg, cervicogenic, posttraumatic) headache disorders. Trigeminal (eg, supraorbital) nerve blocks were used in few studies. Results were generally positive, but should be taken with reservation given the methodological limitations of the available studies. The procedures were generally well tolerated. Evidently, there is a need to perform more rigorous clinical trials to clarify the role of PNBs and TPIs in the management of various headache disorders, and to aim at standardizing the techniques used for the various procedures in this setting.

Upper cervical facet joint and spinal rami blocks for the treatment of cervicogenic headache

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of upper cervical facet joint injections and spinal rami blocks in the treatment of cervicogenic headache.

BACKGROUND

Cervicogenic headache has been recognized as a common and often disabling disorder. The treatment of this headache type remains challenging.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review of 31 patients with refractory cervicogenic headache who underwent fluoroscopically guided C(1/2), C(2/3) facet joint injections and C(2), C(3) spinal rami blocks using a mixture of 0.25% bupivacaine and 3 mg betamehtasone. The outcome measures were the change in headache severity, assessed using an 11-point numerical pain scale, after treatment, and the duration of head pain relief.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight (90.3%) patients experienced >50% headache relief after treatment, with an average duration of 21.7 (1-90) days. Mean (+/-SD) head pain intensity decreased from 7.5 +/- 1.3 before treatment to 2.7 +/- 1.9 immediately after it (P < .0001). The procedures were well tolerated.

CONCLUSIONS

C(1/2), C(2/3) facet joint injections and C(2), C(3) spinal rami blocks were effective and well tolerated for the treatment of cervicogenic headache in this study. The procedures provided significant and prolonged pain relief in the majority of patients. Larger controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of this treatment modality in cervicogenic headache.

The course of the greater occipital nerve in the suboccipital region: a proposal for setting landmarks for local anesthesia in patients with occipital neuralgia

The anatomical relationships of the greater occipital nerve (GON) to the semispinalis capitis muscle (SCM) and the trapezius muscle aponeurosis (TMA) were examined to identify topographic landmarks for use in anesthetic blockade of the GON in occipital neuralgia. The course and the diameter of the GON were studied in 40 cadavers (29 females, 11 males), and the points where it pierced the SCM and the TMA were identified. The course of the GON did not differ between males and females. A left-right difference was detected in the site of the GON in the TMA region but not in the SCM region. The nerve became wider towards the periphery. This may be relevant to entrapment of the nerve in the development of occipital neuralgia. In three cases, the GON split into two branches before piercing the TMA and reunited after having passed the TMA, and it pierced the obliquus capitis inferior muscle in another three cases. The GON and the lesser occipital nerve reunited at the level of the occiput in 80% of the specimens. The occiput and the nuchal midline are useful topographic landmarks to guide anesthetic blockade of the GON for diagnosis and therapy of occipital neuralgia. The infiltration is probably best aimed at the site where the SCM is pierced by the GON.

A Case of Pulsed Radiofrequency Lesioning for Occipital Neuralgia: Table 1

OBJECTIVE

This report describes a case where pulsed radiofrequency lesioning (RFL) of the greater occipital nerve (GON) offered a valuable and safe treatment for the management of greater occipital neuralgia. The case is considered in relation to a review of the medical literature on greater occipital neuralgia and RFL interventions.

CASE REPORT

A 62-year-old man with a 43-year history of left suboccipital pain underwent pulsed RFL of the left GON (20-millisecond bursts at intervals of 0.5 second for 4 minutes at 42 degrees C) after failing to achieve substantial analgesia with naproxen, a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) unit and a greater occipital nerve blockade (GONB) utilizing local anesthetic and steroid. After obtaining 4 months of 70% pain relief, pulsed RFL was repeated and resulted in an additional 5 months of 70% pain relief.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulsed RFL of the GON is an alternative to continuous RFL with the proposed advantage of mitigating pain, as in continuous RFL, but without the potential risk of causing deafferentation pain. While placebo and other nonspecific analgesic effects cannot be ruled out, the apparent safety profile and potential efficacy of pulsed RFL suggests it may be a compelling option to consider before irreversible neuroablative therapies are applied.

Occipital Nerve Blocks in Postconcussive Headaches

Headaches are common following traumatic brain injuries of all severities. Pain generators may be in the head itself or the neck. Headache assessment is discussed. Diagnosis and treatment of cervical headaches syndromes and, in particular, occipital neuralgia are reviewed. Finally, a retrospective study of 10 postconcussive patients with headaches who were treated with greater occipital nerve blocks is presented. Following the injection(s), 80% had a "good" response and 20% had a "partial" response. Occipital nerve block is a useful diagnostic and treatment modality in the setting of postconcussive headaches.

Bloqueio anestésico do nervo occipital maior na profilaxia da migrânea

Na fisiopatologia da enxaqueca muitas estruturas estão envolvidas, sendo que o nervo trigêmeo pode ser considerado a estrutura principal. Com o objetivo de determinar a influência do nervo occipital maior (NOM) sobre o comportamento da enxaqueca, estudamos 37 pacientes que apresentavam crises de enxaqueca. Utilizando-se de um estudo duplo cego "cruzado" os pacientes foram submetidos a infiltração do NOM com bupivacaína 0,5% (BP) e soro fisiológicos 0,9% (SF), os efeitos clínicos após os bloqueios anestésicos foram avaliados: subjetivamente através da escala visual analítica para dor e objetivamente determinou-se os limiares de percepção dolorosa. A comparação entre os dois grupos (BP-SF) e (SF-BP) mostrou que: o número e a duração das crises em todos os momentos do estudo não mudaram; a intensidade das crises no grupo (BP-SF) foi menor somente depois da segunda infiltração (P=0,020), em todos os outros momentos não se observaram alterações significativas. Concluímos que o bloqueio anestésico com BP sobre o NOM não altera o número e a duração das crises de migrânea, porém promove uma redução média na intensidade das crises 60 dias após a sua infiltração. Os resultados mostrados sugerem que o NOM participa ativamente sobre a modulação nociceptiva durante as crises de enxaqueca sem aura.

Cervicogenic headaches: a critical review

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

The notion that headaches may originate from disorders of the cervical spine and can be relieved by treatments directed at the neck is gaining recognition among headache clinicians but is often neglected in the spine literature.

PURPOSE

To review and summarize the literature on cervicogenic headaches in the following areas: historical perspective, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, and treatment.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

A systematic literature review of cervicogenic headache was performed.

METHODS

Three computerized medical databases (Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL], Mantis) were searched for the terms "cervicogenic" and "headache." After cross-referencing, we retrieved 164 unique citations; 48 citations were added from other sources, for a total of 212 citations, although all were not used.

RESULTS

Hilton described the concept of headaches originating from the cervical spine in 1860. In 1983 Sjaastad introduced the term "cervicogenic headache" (CGH). Diagnostic criteria have been established by several expert groups, with agreement that these headaches start in the neck or occipital region and are associated with tenderness of cervical paraspinal tissues. Prevalence estimates range from 0.4% to 2.5% of the general population to 15% to 20% of patients with chronic headaches. CGH affects patients with a mean age of 42.9 years, has a 4:1 female disposition, and tends to be chronic. Almost any pathology affecting the cervical spine has been implicated in the genesis of CGH as a result of convergence of sensory input from the cervical structures within the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. The main differential diagnoses are tension type headache and migraine headache, with considerable overlap in symptoms and findings between these conditions. No specific pathology has been noted on imaging or diagnostic studies which correlates with CGH. CGH seems unresponsive to common headache medication. Small, noncontrolled case series have reported moderate success with surgery and injections. A few randomized controlled trials and a number of case series support the use of cervical manipulation, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and botulinum toxin injection.

CONCLUSIONS

There remains considerable controversy and confusion on all matters pertaining to the topic of CGH. However, the amount of interest in the topic is growing, and it is anticipated that further research will help to clarify the theory, diagnosis, and treatment options for patients with CGH. Until then, it is essential that clinicians maintain an open, cautious, and critical approach to the literature on cervicogenic headaches.

[Can the biologic pattern of cervicogenic headache change after overuse or withdrawal of ergotamine derivatives?]

The transformation of a primary headache into a chronic daily headache (CDH) may or may not be related to the overuse of pain-killers, as their influence on the pathophysiological mechanisms remain inconclusive. We describe three patients (female, aged 65 and 39 years, and male, 46) affected by cervicogenic headache (CH) and CDH linked to the overuse of pain-killers (ergotamine derivatives) that were submitted to the infiltration of the greater occipital nerve (GON). At the end of three days of treatment, a total improvement of the pain symptoms was recorded, which allowed for the withdrawal of the ergotamine derivatives. The CH cannot be ranked with the CDHs, since it presents an organic etiology; however, if the pain is daily and the diagnosis is belated, the indiscriminate and excessive use pain-killers may occur. In the cases described, the overuse of pain-killers did not affect the natural evolution of this headache after treatment with the infiltration of the GON, as all the patients who underwent infiltration showed a total improvement of their painful symptoms, without headache resulting from the withdrawal of pain-killers, nor did they show any pharmacological dependence. This is an evidence that the CH presents and organic etiology, not being influenced in its pathophysiology by the overuse of ergotamine derivatives.