Key clinical point: Ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with chronic migraine (CM); however, comorbid anxiety, or depression negatively predict SGB efficacy.
Major finding: The effective rates of ultrasound-guided SGB treatment were 90.7%, 82.5%, and 71.1% at 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow-ups, respectively, with the number of SGB being significantly greater in patients who did vs did not respond to SGB at the 3-month follow-up ( P = .02) and comorbid anxiety or depression being a negative predictor of poor response to SGB (B −0.25; P = .01). Overall, the SGB-associated adverse event rate was 9.3%, with all adverse events being transient.
Study details: The data come from a retrospective, single-center study including 97 patients with CM who received ≥1 ultrasound-guided SGB treatment with a time interval of 1-7 days.
Disclosures: The study funded by The Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research, China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Yu B et al. Effectiveness, safety, and predictors of response to ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion blockades for the treatment of patients with chronic migraine: A retrospective and observational study. Pain Pract. 2023 (Mar 16). Doi: 10.1111/papr.13224