Will I be ‘cured’?

How much will my migraines improve? Will I be “cured”?

We have a careful patient selection process, and we will only operate on you if we believe there is a significant chance of improving your headache symptoms (greater than 50% reduction in migraine frequency, duration, or severity). However, the diagnostic screening tests are never 100% accurate, and somewhere between one in ten to one in twenty patients will not experience any improvement following surgery.

We will never promise a “cure” for your migraines, and it is important to us that our patients have realistic expectations before deciding to undergo surgery. While a small number of patients may find that their migraines are effectively “cured”, the majority of patients will not be completely free of their migraines. What we are aiming to do is to improve your headaches to the point where you have sufficient headache-free days per month so that your life is less dominated and dictated by your migraines.

“Uncovering” other trigger sites

Surgery at one or more trigger sites is highly likely to improve the headaches generated in those areas. Overall, over 90% of patients will experience an improvement in their migraines after their first surgery. In some patients, the original surgery may have the effect of unmasking other migraine trigger sites in the head and neck. These new trigger sites were probably always present, but were being “drowned out” by the “louder” migraine signals from the primary site(s). Although the headaches generated from these new sites is likely to be less severe than the original headaches, some patients may wish to have further surgery to treat these new sites. This can be discussed with your surgeon at your follow-up consultation, who may advise a further trial of Botox injection in the first instance.