Cluster Headache – ligation of MA

MRI Specialist Cluster Headache Treatment Centers

Ligation of the maxillary artery

A groundbreaking procedure for the treatment of Cluster Headaches has for the first time been described in the peer reviewed medical journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

The procedure entails the ligation of the internal maxillary artery (MA). For the purposes of the study the procedure was performed on one chronic and four episodic cluster headache sufferers.

According to the paper, “The pain in cluster headache is … most often is localised to the region supplied by the maxillary artery (MA), namely the peri-orbital, retro-orbital, and orofacial areas”. The paper concludes “In the treatment of cluster headaches, the possibility must always be borne in mind that the cluster stopped spontaneously, not because of the intervention, but because of the natural progression of the disease. This could not have been the case with patient 1 who had chronic cluster headache. Also, the fact that the attacks stopped immediately after the surgery in 4 of 5 cases makes it statistically highly unlikely that all 4 happened to obtain spontaneous relief directly after surgery. What is also significant is that patient 4 had an attack that started during the surgery. Without prompting and without being aware of what stage the surgery had reached, he reported that the pain ceased at the moment the maxillary artery was clamped and cauterized.”

The full scientific text of the published article can be found at this address: Cauterisation of the maxillary artery for cluster headaches

“Institutions, organizations, and medical professionals are encouraged to throw off old ideas that have not brought pain relief to desperate people, and embrace new modalities that are ending pain and restoring lives.”