Study proves Effectiveness of
Surgical Migraine Treatment

A placebo-controlled study by the renowned Cleveland University in the USA is proving what over 1500 patients worldwide already know from their own experience: surgical migraine treatment, the so-called “Migraine Operation” is effective – even by scientific standards. Experts describe the study as the basis for the long overdue recognition of a treatment method, which has shown impressive success for almost ten years and has given a new quality of life to migraine patients.

Definite Results in Complex Study Design

The results of the data evaluation speak for itself: half of the operated patients (57.1%) stated that their complaints had completely disappeared after the 12-month follow-up examination. They are considered to be completely healed. This was only the case for one patient (3.8%) in the comparison group. Furthermore, a more than 50% reduction in migraine complaints could be observed in 83.7% of the operated patients; corresponding alleviation in the group of patients receiving a pseudo-operation was only 57.7%.

As a result, the study confirms that the surgical migraine treatment is an effective treatment method.

The prospective, randomised study was carried out under complex, placebo-controlled conditions: while one group of patients were actually operated on, a second group only received a pseudo-operation. This means the significance of the study corresponds to the double-blind study which is considered the Gold Standard in pharmacological research.

Re-Evaluation of the Migraine Operation

Since its first performance in 2000, operative migraine treatment has been exposed to vehement criticism by many neurologists, who criticised, among other things, the lack of scientific evidence of the efficiency. These arguments are now refuted by the publication of the study. In particular, the complex study design, which takes into account the possible placebo effect of a treatment, among other things, and the statistically significant data are receiving high levels of recognition among experts (including Janis; 2009). In addition, operative migraine treatment is the only treatment method which combats the causes of migraine attacks and not their symptoms.

Due to the existing study results, operative treatment of migraines must be recognised as an effective treatment option by opponents as well and must now be the subject of a factual, patient-oriented discussion. According to experts, the operation appears to be especially suitable for patients who do not or insufficiently respond to medicinal or complementary treatment.

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