New hope for facial pain and migraine headache patients

Recent research has highlighted the important role of the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) in cerebrovascular autonomic physiology and in the pathophysiology of cluster and migraine headaches . The relatively accessible location of the SPG within the pterygopalatine fossa and the development of a new device for minimally invasive approaches to the SPG make it an attractive target for anesthetic neuromodulation approaches. The obvious advantage of SPG anesthetic modulation when compared to ablative procedures on the SPG such as radiofrequency destruction and stereotactic radiosurgery is its reversibility and adjustable features.

The postsynaptic fibers of the pterygopalatine or sphenopalatine ganglion (PPG or SPG) supply the lacrimal and nasal glands. The PPG appears to play an important role in various pain syndromes including migraine and other types of headaches, trigeminal and sphenopalatine neuralgia, atypical facial pain, muscle pain, vasomotor rhinitis, eye disorders, and post herpetic neuralgia. Clinical trials have shown that these pain disorders can be managed effectively with sphenopalatine ganglion blockade (SPGB).

A New Device for achieving SPG/PPG Blocks in Migraine Patients