SynthesisPloS one2015
Occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraine--a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Four Decades of Occipital Nerve Stimulation for Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Pooled it
- Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in Pain Management: A Systematic Review.Pain physician · 2021Pooled it
- Neuromodulation techniques for acute and preventive migraine treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.The journal of headache and pain · 2020Pooled it
- Heart rate variability and cold-induced vascular dilation after stimulation of two different areas of the ear: a prospective, single-blinded, randomized crossover study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Trial
- Peripheral Nerve Stimulation of C2-C3 Nerves for Management of Headaches: A Description of a Novel Technique.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Non-Pharmacological Treatments of Migraine: Current Evidence and Clinical Practice.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Cellular senescence in migraine - a hypothesis-driven narrative review.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Review
- Long term outcomes of occipital nerve stimulation.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Prediction and associated factors of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs efficacy in migraine treatment.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness and Safety.Pain and therapy · 2021Review
- Article
- An unusual case of lead migration in occipital nerve stimulation: A case report and literature review.Surgical neurology international · 2021Article
- Occipital Nerve Stimulation in Chronic Migraine: The Relationship Between Perceived Sensory Quality, Perceived Sensory Location, and Clinical Efficacy-A Prospective, Observational, Non-Interventional Study.Pain and therapy · 2020Article
- [Neuromodulation in primary headache in the year 2019: is it still up-to-date? : New data on invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation in migraine and cluster headaches].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2019Review
- Non-Trigeminal Nociceptive Innervation of the Posterior Dura: Implications to Occipital Headache.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2019Article
- Non-Pharmacological Approaches for Migraine.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2018Review
- THE EFFECT OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION VERSUS SHAM CUEING ON SCAPULAR POSITION DURING EXERCISE IN PATIENTS WITH SCAPULAR DYSKINESIS.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2017Article
- Central and Peripheral Neural Targets for Neurostimulation of Chronic Headaches.Current pain and headache reports · 2017Review
- Inhibitory effect of high-frequency greater occipital nerve electrical stimulation on trigeminovascular nociceptive processing in rats.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2017Article
- Long-term outcomes of occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraine: a cohort of 53 patients.The journal of headache and pain · 2016Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic migraine is a debilitating headache disorder that has significant impact on quality of life. Stimulation of peripheral nerves is increasingly being used to treat chronic refractory pain including headache disorders. This systematic review examines the effectiveness and adverse effects of occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) for chronic migraine.
methodsDatabases, including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and clinical trial registers were searched to September 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), other controlled and uncontrolled observational studies and case series (n≥ 10) were eligible. RCTs were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects model. Findings are presented in summary tables and forest plots.
resultsFive RCTs (total n=402) and seven case series (total n=115) met the inclusion criteria. Pooled results from three multicenter RCTs show that ONS was associated with a mean reduction of 2.59 days (95% CI 0.91 to 4.27, I2=0%) of prolonged, moderate to severe headache per month at 3 months compared with a sham control. Results for other outcomes generally favour ONS over sham controls but quantitative analysis was hampered by incomplete publication and reporting of trial data. Lead migration and infections are common and often require revision surgery. Open-label follow-up of RCTs and case series suggest long-term effectiveness can be maintained in some patients but evidence is limited.
conclusionsWhile the effectiveness of ONS compared to sham control has been shown in multiple RCTs, the average effect size is modest and may be exaggerated by bias as achieving effective blinding remains a methodological challenge. Further measures to reduce the risk of adverse events and revision surgery are needed. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: this systematic review is an update and expanded work of part of a broader review registered with PROSPERO. Registration No. CRD42012002633.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.