Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40621922›Full record

ArticleHeadache

A retrospective cohort study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety profile of occipital nerve blocks in the treatment of migraine during pregnancy.

Liza Smirnoff, Leon Moskatel, Blake Shaw, Zihuai He, Addie Peretz

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In one paragraph

Article in Headache. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Liza SmirnoffDepartment of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Leon MoskatelDepartment of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8596-9130
Blake ShawQuantitative Science Unit, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Zihuai HeDepartment of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Addie PeretzDepartment of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/

backgroundNearly 12% of Americans experience migraine, with 75% of that group represented by women aged 15-55 years, notably including peak childbearing years. This presents a therapeutic dilemma for pregnant patients, given that most medications for migraine range from unknown teratogenicity in human pregnancies, at best, to known teratogenicity, severely limiting their utility. However, migraine causes significant disability and impairment in the lives of pregnant patients, necessitating treatment. We conducted a retrospective chart review and phone survey to evaluate the safety profile and effectiveness of bilateral occipital nerve blocks to treat migraine during pregnancy.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective review of charts of women aged 18-50 years who received bilateral occipital nerve blocks at the Stanford Headache Clinic between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2020 during their pregnancies for the treatment of migraine and followed up with phone call surveys to address fetal outcomes as well as effectiveness of the nerve blocks.

resultsThirty patients met inclusion criteria, and 21 responded to our survey. Of the 21 surveyed, none experienced significant pregnancy complications, negative fetal outcomes, or an increased rate of miscarriage. Participants receiving nerve blocks noted a reduction in pain on a visual analog scale from an average of 7 to 2 (p < 0.001) as well as from 9 days to 4 days of acute medication use per month (p = 0.002).

conclusionBased on this limited retrospective cohort study, serial occipital nerve blocks may offer a safe and potentially effective option for treatment of migraine during pregnancy. Occipital nerve blocks may improve the overall quality of life, decrease disability rates, and decrease the use of potentially teratogenic therapies in pregnant women. Future larger and prospective studies are needed to better assess the safety profile and effectiveness of occipital nerve blocks for pregnant patients with migraine.

Indexed as

Migraine DisordersNerve BlockPregnancy ComplicationsAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPregnancyRetrospective StudiesYoung Adultmigraineoccipital nerve blockpregnancywomen's health

Identifiers

PMID40621922
PMCPMC12638509

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.