Sphenopalatia Treatment in Migraine
Peripheral nerve blocks have been used for decades in both acute and preventive treatments of headaches and are among the safe and effective treatment methods for patients with headaches. Their effectiveness in pain relief lasting from weeks to months has been proven. It is thought that they carry out these long activities by pain modulation. Nerve blockages; In the acute treatment of patients with medication overuse headaches, in children and pregnant patients, with liver-kidney failure, except for patients who disrupt medication use and do not want to use medication; It can also be preferred in patients who need to avoid multiple drug therapy.
The most frequently used and effectively applied method in our clinic is nerve blockade; greater occipital nerve (GON) blockade.
Sphenopalatine ganglion blockade, supratrochlear, auriculotemporal, supraorbital, infraorbital and mental nerve blocks, cervical root blocks and their combinations are other frequently applied nerve blockade methods.
Here we will give information about “sphenopalatine nerve blockade” which is also applied in our clinic.
What is Sphenopalatine Ganglion?
Sphenopalatine ganglion (pterygopalatine ganglion) It is a collection of nerve cells closely related to the trigeminal nerve and is a complex region of cell bodies and fibers. It has an important role in transmitting pain signals in the head-face region. It contains autonomic and sensory nerves and is superficially triangular in shape, less than 5 mm in size. It is covered with 1-1.5 mm of connective tissue and mucosa, so it can be blocked by topical or injection methods.
For which pains is Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade used?
Sphenopalatine ganglion blockade can be used in the treatment of cluster headaches, migraine and other trigeminal autonomic headaches, persistent orofacial pain syndromes such as persistent idiopathic facial pain, and trigeminal neuralgia.
How is Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade applied?
Blocking: transcutaneous (through the skin), intraoral (inside the mouth) route, or topical application to the mucosa covering the side wall of the nasal cavity (lateral/infrazygomatic, transoral and transnasal) It can be applied by road. We use the topical transnasal method due to patient comfort and ease of application.
In the transnasal method, the patient is first placed on his back with his head tilted back. A small applicator or catheter is then inserted into the back of the nasal cavity through the nostril. An anesthetic substance dropped into the back of the nasal cavity using a cotton swab or catheter is absorbed into the sphenopalatine ganglion and kept there for 30 minutes.
How is the effectiveness of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade?
Our expectation in this application, which begins to show its benefits the next day after the blockade, is to provide effectiveness that can last more than 6 months and exceed 70%.
What are the side effects of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade?
The possibility of allergy to the drug used is very low. During the application, there may be rare side effects such as watering-redness of the eyes, gagging-coughing, bitter taste in the mouth and irritation in the nose.
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