Korean J Pain.  2008 Aug;21(2):150-154. 10.3344/kjp.2008.21.2.150.

Bipolar Pulsed Radiofrequency Denervation of Third Occipital Nerve in Patient with Cervicogenic Headache: A case report

• Lee SY
• Sim WS
• Lee SM
• Chang IY

• KMID: 2278086
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2008.21.2.150

Abstract

Pulsed or conventional radiofrequency (RF) denervation of the third occipital nerve (TON) is considered to be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of pain originating from the cervical 2-3 facet joint, including cervicogenic headache. However, proper positioning of the RF probe in the TON can be difficult and time consuming due to the possible involvement of various lesions along the target nerve. We found that bipolar RF is easier to perform and more convenient than unipolar RF when administering a lumbar medial branch block. Here, we report the successful treatment of a patient with a cervicogenic headache by pulsed RF (PRF) denervation of the TON, using a bipolar probe. We believe that bipolar PRF denervation of the TON is an effective alternative to unipolar RF or PRF for the treatment of pain originating from the cervical 2-3 facet joint.

Keyword

bipolar pulsed radiofrequency; cervicogenic headache; facet joint; third occipital nerve

MeSH Terms

Denervation
Humans
Post-Traumatic Headache
Zygapophyseal Joint