Migraine can now be operated on
“This is really exciting,” says Bjørn Tore Haga. He is the clinic manager at Stavanger Plastic Surgery and the first surgeon in Norway to perform the operation.
The success story in 2020, when Bjørn Tore was asked by a patient if he could perform the surgery.
– The patient had read about the surgery, so I asked for the articles.
It turned out that this is a new and growing field in the United States, where this type of surgery had come to light when several patients who had an endoscopic forehead lift reported improvement in their migraines afterwards.
– This is how it all started, with the aforementioned patient and with a great result, he smiles.
A new type of surgery helps 90 percent of those who undergo the operation. Stavanger Plastic Surgery can now offer this operation.
How it works
The operation loosens (decompresses) the supraorbital nerve, which runs through a canal in the eye socket along with an artery and a vein. In simple terms, one nerve and two blood vessels run through a narrow canal inside the eye socket. When blood pressure increases, the blood vessels dilate and press on the nerve, causing frontal migraine-like pain. The procedure involves going behind the eyelid and creating space for the nerves in the canal, so that the nerves are not squeezed when blood pressure increases. The operation is performed under general anesthesia, but you can go home the same day.
“The combination of being a hand surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon is ideal for this operation,” explains Bjørn Tore. As an experienced hand surgeon, he is an expert in handling nerves, while experience as a cosmetic surgeon is a prerequisite for being able to go in and perform the procedure behind the eyelid.
For Bjørn Tore, the operation is now routine, and at the time of writing, he is the only surgeon in the country who performs it.
Who can be helped?
– Typically, it is those with frontal migraine, where the pain is most pronounced around the eyes, who will benefit from the surgery, explains Bjørn Tore.
– It is easy to test whether the surgery will be effective for you: You come in for a consultation and we provoke the migraine. Then we apply local anesthesia, and if the migraine disappears, you are a good candidate! The price is not a deterrent either
– And we know that it works, says Bjørn Tore.
– Migraine patients keep headache diaries. From these we can see what happens after the operation. For example, the frequency of attacks has decreased, from being bedridden with migraines three times a week, to perhaps once a month. Our statistics show that more than 90 percent of those who have had the operation are helped, he notes.
Bjørn Tore Haga, clinic manager at Stavanger Plastic Surgery, is the only one in Norway who performs this type of surgery.
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