Nasal Surgery Reduces Migraine Pain in Test

Posted on July 11, 2005

The BBC reports that a New Jersey nasal surgery test (published in the journal Cephalagia) on 21 migraine patients reduced the severity of the headaches and cut the length of the migraines in half. The goal of the surgery was to correct intranasal contact points found on CT scans that researchers believed where stimulating nerves and causing pain.

It has been known that when opposite surfaces in the nasal cavity touch and press against each other they stimulate one of the main nerves in the face called the trigeminal nerve; which in turn causes secretion of a special substance that is irritant to the nasal tissue.
When this occurs it has known in certain instances to confuse the brain into interpreting the stimulation as a headache - a phenomenon known as referred pain.
The researchers evaluated 21 patients who had severe migraines that had not responded to conventional treatment.
CT scans of the sinuses revealed that these 21 patients had intranasal contact points.

The BBC article also indicates that migraines have also been linked to a heart defect and that all migraines may not be curable with the new sinus surgery.

HEALTH