We have many patients with migraine headaches who see an opportunity for a surgical cure for their pain and want to proceed immediately to surgery at Migraine Surgery Specialty Center without any other workup- this is a mistake. Every patient who has surgery for their migraines needs a neurology workup including an MRI of the brain.
While many patients are great candidates for migraine surgery, it is important that each patient is evaluated for the few issues that cannot be fixed with nerve decompression.
For example, patients need to make certain that they have no tumors or vascular abnormalities of the brain that are causing their symptoms, as different types of surgeries may be necessary for these issues. Patients should also be familiar with any options that a neurologist can provide. Some migraine patients can be easily managed with medications.
A well informed patient who understands all of her or his options is always the best kind of patient for any surgery, including migraine headache surgery. Once we can confirm that nerve decompression is the principle issue behind your pain, we can confidently proceed to surgery and the favorable odds that we can improve your pain for the long term.
