ArticleOchsner journal2018
Treatment of Occipital Neuralgia by Thermal Radiofrequency Ablation.
Article in Ochsner journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of acupuncture in the treatment of occipital neuralgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2022Pooled it
- The effects of acupuncture on occipital neuralgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Pooled it
- Ultrasound-guided continuous radiofrequency ablation of the proximal greater occipital nerve is effective in refractory occipital neuralgia: a retrospective cohort study.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · 2025Article
- A novel technique to identify and thermally ablate the greater occipital nerve for patients with occipital neuralgia: a retrospective study with cadaveric andAnnals of translational medicine · 2024Article
- Refractory occipital neuralgia treatment with nerve decompression surgery: a case series.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Refractory occipital scalp pruritus treated with computed tomography-guided greater occipital nerve ablation.Radiology case reports · 2022Article
- Occipital Neuralgia.Current pain and headache reports · 2021Review
- Latest Evidence-Based Application for Radiofrequency Neurotomy (LEARN): Best Practice Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN).Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- A Review of the Recent Findings in Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for the Management of Occipital Neuralgia.Neurology and therapy · 2020Review
- The ALblation Technique for Treating Migraine Headache.Current pain and headache reports · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccipital neuralgia is an uncommon disorder characterized by severe pain involving the posterior scalp in the distribution of the greater and lesser occipital nerves. In cases refractory to pharmacotherapy, invasive treatment options may be warranted. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of thermal radiofrequency ablation (TRF) on occipital neuralgia. We hypothesized that this procedure would result in long-term pain relief.
methodsAll patients who underwent TRF of the greater and lesser occipital nerves between January 1, 2013 and March 23, 2016 were identified. Medical records were reviewed for preprocedure pain score, 1-month postprocedure pain score, patient-defined percent pain relief according to the visual analog scale (on which zero equals no pain and 10 represents the worst pain imaginable), and length of pain relief. The primary outcomes were the differences between preprocedure and 1-month postprocedure pain scores (mean change from baseline), percent pain relief, and patient-reported length of relief.
resultsA total of 50 patients were identified; 4 patients were excluded because of insufficient data as a result of loss to follow-up. A significant difference was found between preprocedure and postprocedure patient-reported pain scores (6.7 vs 2.7, respectively;
conclusionThis study suggests that TRF may reduce pain scores for approximately 6 months.
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