ArticleCephalalgia : an international journal of headache2017
Long-term effectiveness of sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation for cluster headache.
Article in Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 49 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery in the management of cluster headache: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Research hotspots and frontiers of cluster headaches: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Cluster headache: crosspoint between otologists and neurologists-treatment of the sphenopalatine ganglion and systematic review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2019Pooled it
- Sphenopalatine ganglion: block, radiofrequency ablation and neurostimulation - a systematic review.The journal of headache and pain · 2017Pooled it
- Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for the acute treatment of episodic and chronic cluster headache: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled ACT2 study.Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache · 2018Trial
- Effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on attack frequency over time and expanded response rates in patients with chronic cluster headache: a post hoc analysis of the randomised, controlled PREVA study.The journal of headache and pain · 2017Trial
- Cluster headache attack remission with sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation: experiences in chronic cluster headache patients through 24 months.The journal of headache and pain · 2016Trial
- Effectiveness of Combined Peripheral Nerve Blocks Versus Isolated Greater Occipital Nerve Block in the Management of Cluster Headache.Noro psikiyatri arsivi · 2026Article
- Hallmarks of primary headache: part 3 - cluster headache.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Review
- Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks in Headache Management: A Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- 15. Cluster Headache.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Review
- Current and Novel Therapies for Cluster Headache: A Narrative Review.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- Occipital nerve stimulation in medically intractable chronic cluster headache.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
- Cluster headache: understandings of current knowledge and directions for whole process management.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- Neuromodulation for Craniofacial Pain and Headaches.Biomedicines · 2023Review
- Neuromodulation for the Sphenopalatine Ganglion-a Narrative Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2023Review
- Current treatment options for cluster headache: limitations and the unmet need for better and specific treatments-a consensus article.The journal of headache and pain · 2023Review
- Review
- Sphenopalatine ganglion volumetry in episodic cluster headache: from symptom laterality to cranial autonomic symptoms.The journal of headache and pain · 2023Article
- Cluster headache: state of the art in treatment.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedCorrigendum.2016
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) plays a pivotal role in cluster headache (CH) pathophysiology as the major efferent parasympathetic relay. We evaluated the long-term effectiveness of SPG stimulation in medically refractory, chronic CH patients. Methods Thirty-three patients were enrolled in an open-label follow-up study of the original Pathway CH-1 study, and participated through 24 months post-insertion of a microstimulator. Response to therapy was defined as acute effectiveness in ≥ 50% of attacks or a ≥ 50% reduction in attack frequency versus baseline. Results In total, 5956 attacks (180.5 ± 344.8, range 2-1581 per patient) were evaluated. At 24 months, 45% ( n = 15) of patients were acute responders. Among acute responders, a total of 4340 attacks had been treated, and in 78% of these, effective therapy was achieved using only SPG stimulation (relief from moderate or greater pain or freedom from mild pain or greater). A frequency response was observed in 33% ( n = 11) of patients with a mean reduction of attack frequency of 83% versus baseline. In total, 61% (20/33) of all patients were either acute or frequency responders or both. The majority maintained their therapeutic response through the 24-month evaluation. Conclusions In the population of disabled, medically refractory chronic CH patients treated in this study, SPG stimulation is an effective acute therapy in 45% of patients, offering sustained effectiveness over 24 months of observation. In addition, a maintained, clinically relevant reduction of attack frequency was observed in a third of patients. These long-term data provide support for the use of SPG stimulation for disabled patients and should be considered after medical treatments fail, are not tolerated or are inconvenient for the patients.
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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.