ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2019
Pulsed radiofrequency of the C2 dorsal root ganglion and epidural steroid injections for cervicogenic headache.
Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of interventional treatment strategies for managing patients with cervicogenic headache: a systematic review.Korean journal of anesthesiology · 2022Pooled it
- Comparison of two distinct needle tip positions in pulsed radiofrequency for herpes zoster-related pain.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2023Trial
- High-dose pulsed radiofrequency of the C2 dorsal root ganglion versus nerve block for cervicogenic headache with ocular symptoms: A retrospective cohort study.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- Efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency at different intervention times for zoster-related pain: A retrospective comparative study.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Article
- Minimally Invasive Interventions for Cervicogenic Headache: A Systematic Review of Targeted Anatomical Approaches and Clinical Outcomes.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Combined ultrasound-guided C2 DRG pulsed radiofrequency and suboccipital myofascial plane block for cervicogenic headache: a retrospective study.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency for cervicogenic headache: a retrospective study focusing on the C2 dorsal root ganglion at the C1-2 level.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2025Article
- 11. Cervicogenic headache and occipital neuralgia.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Review
- A Novel Ultrasound-Guided "Three in One" Approach Plus Interfascial Plane Blocks for the Treatment of Cervicogenic Headache.Local and regional anesthesia · 2024Article
- Pulsed Radiofrequency Neuromodulation of the Greater Occipital Nerve for the Treatment of Headache Disorders in Adults: A Systematic Review.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2024Article
- Review
- Safety of Conventional and Pulsed Radiofrequency Lesions of the Dorsal Root Entry Zone Complex (DREZC) for Interventional Pain Management: A Systematic Review.Pain and therapy · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCervicogenic headache (CEH) is characterized by unilateral headache symptoms referred to the head from the cervical spine. Few methods have addressed long-term pain relief for CEH. This study was undertaken to evaluate pain control and quality of life after pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for the C2 dorsal root ganglion and epidural steroid injections (ESI) for CEH.
methodsThis was a case-control study. One hundred thirty-nine patients suffering from CEH were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 87 CEH patients underwent PRF for the C2 dorsal root ganglion and ESI therapy, and 52 CEH patients only underwent ESI therapy. Quality of life and pain control were measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and Izbicki pain scores. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment in the groups.
resultsBefore therapy, the median of Izbicki pain score in PRF+ESI group and ESI group was 78.5 and 72.5, respectively (p = 0.574). After 2 year follow-up, significant reduction was found in the two groups (11.25 versus 40.00, p < 0.001). The two groups demonstrated an equal distribution of age and gender (p > 0.05). SF (68.52 ± 21.50 versus 50.63 ± 15.42), PF (70.61 ± 29.47 versus 47.87 ± 21.53), RF (52.04 ± 17.92 versus 38.13 ± 24.07), EF (61.17 ± 28.41 versus 43.52 ± 25.48), CF (55.36 ± 19.82 versus 46.82 ± 23.54), and QL (59.31 ± 27.44 versus 50.73 ± 21.90) were significantly higher in PRF+ESI group than in ESI group. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the probability of treatment success in PRF+ESI group was higher than that in ESI group (median pain relief: ESI group, 4 months; PRF+ESI group, 8 months) (Log-Rank test, p < 0. 001). There was no serious side effect in this study.
conclusionThe combination of PRF for the C2 dorsal root ganglion and ESI is a relatively safe therapy for CEH. This technique not only provides the sustained relief of pain symptom but improves the quality of life in patients with CEH.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.