New treatment could bring relief to migraine sufferers

Researchers at the Albany Medical Center believe they may have found something to help people who suffer from excruciating migraines.

"Migraine headaches are one of the most common, debilitating diseases in the United States, and the cost and side effects of medicine to address migraines can be overwhelming," Dr. Kenneth Mandato, the study's lead researcher and an interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Center, said in a statement. For the treatment, clinicians put a catheter through the patient's nasal passages and administer lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion, the nerve bundle behind the nose that is tied to migraines.

"Administration of lidocaine to the sphenopalatine ganglion acts as a 'reset button' for the brain's migraine circuitry," Mandato said. "When the initial numbing of the lidocaine wears off, the migraine trigger seems to no longer have the maximum effect that it once did." Following the procedure, researchers found that 88 percent of patients said they needed less or no additional medication for ongoing relief.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up