Results obtained with cranial nerve block in the treatment of migraine in patients assisted in a reference hospital

Abstract

Introduction: The performance of Cranial nerve blocks (CNBs) in migraine has been increasingly used. CNBs are generally safe and well-tolerated procedures that can be performed in either emergency or outpatient settings. There is currently no guideline standardizing CNBs in migraine. In clinical practice, as well as the few published studies, the results are encouraging, justifying further studies in the area. Objectives: Evaluate the clinical response, safety and tolerability to the CNBs performed in patients with diagnostic criteria for migraine accompanying in the headache clinic in a reference hospital, and evaluate the response through objective scales (HIT 6 and EVA) evaluating comparatively pre and after application in a time interval of 60 days. Methods: Cross-sectional and retrospective observational clinical study in a convenience sample, in which the response to the CNBs performed in patients with migraine diagnostic criteria who accompany the headache clinic in a reference hospital, through the application of objective scales (HIT 6 and EVA) comparatively evaluating pre and after application in a time interval of 60 days, in the period from January 2021 to July 2022. Results: There were 15 patients included in the present study. The evaluation of the averages from EVA and HIT 6 pre and after application was statistically significant with P < 0.001. Only 6.66% (1) complained of some adverse effect such as initial insomnia. 93.33% (14) denied any post-application adverse effect. Unilateral and bilateral application, type of drug used in nerve block and prophylaxis concomitant also showed statistical relevance in the variation of the VAS scale. Conclusion: Despite the limitations and the reduced sample size, restricting to a more conclusive interpretation, the findings point to a potential therapeutic benefit and for the safety of the CNBs, justifying the performance of more studies in the area in order to create a protocol for the practice of CNBs.