Beschreibung:
<jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p> Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) results in beneficial outcomes, with marked pain relief, in otherwise intractable chronic migraine (CM) and chronic cluster headache (CCH). Some studies have reported that a positive response to occipital nerve block (ONB) administered prior to ONS predicts a positive response to ONS. However, other studies concerned with proper patient selection claimed no predictive value for ONB. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the usefulness and predictive value of ONB prior to ONS. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p> Literature searches on the predictive value of ONB were performed in MEDLINE and PubMed. Patient data were extracted and a pooled analysis was performed. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p> The literature review revealed 133 patients with CM and seven patients with CCH who received preoperative ONB. To date, a randomized controlled study examining the relationship between ONB and ONS has not been conducted in patients with CM. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p> Current literature suggests that ONB does not sufficiently predict ONS responsiveness in patients with refractory CM and CCH; this important issue requires further investigation. </jats:p></jats:sec>