Headache syndromes often suggest occipital and neck involvement, although it is still unknown to what extent branches of segment C1-C3 contribute actively to primary headache. Pain within the occipital area may be referred to the trigeminal territory. However, a modulation of trigeminal transmission by affecting cervical input in humans has not been elucidated so far. A convergence of cervical ...

Objectives: Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) is a peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) technique that has been used with success in the management of intractable chronic daily headaches (CDHs) and occipital neuralgia (ON). The technique involves the placement of a stimulating surgical or percutaneous electrode over the occipital nerves within the subcutaneous tissues at the skull base. Until rec...

PURPOSE To analyze diffusional anisotropy in frontal and occipital white matter of human brain quantitatively as a function of age by using diffusion-weighted MR imaging. METHODS Ten neonates (< 1 month), 13 infants (1-10 months), 9 children (1-11 years), and 16 adults (20-79 years) were examined. After taking axial spin-echo images of the brain, diffusion-sensitive gradients were added paral...

To the Editor: As one who has used nerve blocks for migraine treatment and prophylaxis for many years and seen great efficacy lasting up to six months in patients who have failed other prophylactic therapies, I was glad to see the long awaited publication of a randomized control trial (RCT) of greater occipital nerve block (GONB) migraine prophylaxis (1). I was surprised by the authors’ choice ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the incidence of postsurgical sensory complications in patients with scalp masses and classify the locations of them from a surgical standpoint according to anatomical considerations. METHODS A total of 121 patients who underwent surgery for scalp mass were included in this study. The authors reviewed medical records and preoperative radiologic images. We investigated th...

BACKGROUND The surgical treatment of occipital headaches focuses on the greater, lesser, and third occipital nerves. The lesser occipital nerve (LON) is usually transected with relatively limited available information regarding the compression topography thereof and how such knowledge may impact surgical treatment. METHODS Eight fresh frozen cadavers were dissected focusing on the LON in rela...