High cervical epidural neurostimulation for post-traumatic headache management

Abstract

Headache following head injuries has been reported for centuries. The majority of post-traumatic headache (PTH) patients will report resolution of their complaints within a few months from the time of the initial injury. PTHs can contribute to disability, lost productivity, and health care costs. In this article we discuss a 40-year-old male with a history of motor vehicle accident and basal skull fracture. The patient had no headache history prior to the accident. He presented with more than 3 years persistent daily headache. The patient described constant throbbing and stabbing quality headaches predominantly on the left hemicranium with constant facial pain. He denies having aura, nausea, or vomiting, but reported occasional neck tightness. An extensive workup was carried out under the direction of the patient's primary neurologist. Secondary to persistent intractable pain, the patient was referred to the pain clinic for further evaluation. As his headaches were resistant to all trialed strategies, we decided to turn our therapeutic focus toward electrical neuromodulation along with continuing multimodal medications and multidisciplinary approach. During 7 days of high cervical dorsal column electrical nerve stimulation trial, he reported almost 90% pain reduction and significant improvement on his quality of life. On 12 months follow-up after he underwent a permanent implant of high cervical dorsal column electrical nerve stimulation, he reported the same level of pain reduction along with 100% satisfaction rate. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no publications to date concerning the application of high cervical nerve stimulation for PTH.