Greater occipital nerve block in the treatment of headaches. Review of evidence

Introduction: Peripheral nerve blocks have been a common treatment for multiple headaches. By far, the greater occipital nerve block is the most used and with the stronger body of evidence in routine clinical practice. Methods: We searched Pubmed Meta-Analysis/Systematic Review, in the last 10 years. Of these results, meta-analyses, and in the absence of these systematic reviews, assessing Greater Occipital Nerve Block in headache has been selected for review. Results: We identified 95 studies in Pubmed, 13 that met the inclusion criteria. Conclusion: Greater occipital block is an effective and safe technique, easy to perform and which has shown its usefulness in migraine, cluster headache, cervicogenic headache and Post-dural puncture headache. However, more studies are needed to clarify its long-term efficacy, its place in clinical treat-ment, the possible difference between different anaesthetics, the most convenient dosage and the role of concomitant use of corticosteroids. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier Espan & SIM;a, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Peripheral nerve blocks, particularly greater occipital nerve block, have been widely used as a safe and effective treatment for various types of headaches. A systematic review of 13 studies found that greater occipital nerve block is effective in relieving migraine, cluster headache, cervicogenic headache, and post-dural puncture headache. However, further studies are needed to determine its long-term efficacy, optimal dosage, and potential differences between different anesthetics, as well as the role of corticosteroid use.