Migraine Surgery

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Migraine Surgery Phoenix AZ

Migraine pain, which can last from hours to days, affects many men and women around the country. This pulsating pain can happen at any time with attacks that cause nausea, sensitivity to light (photophobia), and even sensitivity to sound (phonophobia). Dr. Tessler and Dr. Turin can surgically deactivate the trigger sites to curtail migraine pain as a treatment called migraine surgery. Many patients seek migraine surgery treatment when medication or other nonsurgical treatments just won’t work against their debilitating migraines. We want to help be the solution to improve your quality of life, provide long-term relief, and most of all stop the pain.

When you can identify your migraine triggers (from genetic disposition or the result of bodily changes) and the points of pain where the nerves in your face and head are compressed or irritated, Dr. Tessler and Dr. Turin can reduce the pain by surgically correcting the tissue surrounding the nerves or by blocking the pain signals. Because every patient is different, results and surgical techniques may vary from patient to patient.

Points of Migraine Pain

Compressed nerves next to tissues or muscles can cause migraine pain. Our experienced surgeons, Dr. Tessler and Dr. Turin in Phoenix AZ, can provide you with a minimally-invasive corrective surgery depending on the location of your personal migraine triggers.

Mison

Minimally invasive supra-orbital nerve (MISON): As a network of tiny nerve endings in the forehead, this a common dwelling of nerve compression leading to migraines.

Migone

Minimally invasive greater occipital nerve entrapment (MIGONE): The greater occipital nerve (a spinal nerve) provides sensation for the back and top of the head, and is a common site for migraine triggers.

Deviated Septum

Septoplasty or surgical correction of a deviated septum: When the nasal septum is deviated or bent, it may cause severe pressure on the nerves. Our plastic surgeons may suggest septoplasty (an invasive deviated septum surgery) to help straightens the cartilage and relieve the pressure.

Do I Qualify for Migraine Surgery?

We see patients with or without a referral from your primary care physician or neurologist. Ideal candidates for the treatment of migraines are:

  • Patients, who have been diagnosed with migraines by a neurologist
  • Patients with sites of nerve compression in their head
  • Patients who have experienced failed, substandard medical treatments for the pain and migraine symptoms
  • Patients who have had side effects from migraine medications that are unfavorable or the medication is unsustainable long-term

Also, patients with a favorable response to BOTOX®, or local anesthetic injections are generally good candidates for migraine surgery.

What to Expect

After the predominant migraine trigger sites are identified, your plastic surgeon can discuss treatment options, which may be blocking pain receptors or removing the affected nerve sections causing the problem. The surgery usually takes about an hour, and is performed under general anesthesia in an ambulatory care setting. Incisions are well hidden within in the scalp or in the upper eyelid. Many of our patients report slight bruising and swelling that resolves within 2 weeks, and are able to return to their usual activities in the same time period.

Migraine Surgery Risks & Complications

As with any surgery, migraine surgery can have some complications, such as delayed wound healing, nerve injuries, excessive bleeding, and the chance the surgery will not help alleviate the pain. Most complications are rare, and will vary according to the type of surgery performed.

ARTICLES

Cosmetic Eye Procedure May Ease Migraines, Small Study Says

Cosmetic eyelid surgery involving specific nerves may do more than improve your looks – the procedure may also provide migraine relief for some, according to new research.The technique involves making incisions in the upper eyelid to deactivate so­called “trigger” nerves. This process also lifts the lid, a technique known as blepharoplasty. The new approach is an alternative to another surgery sometimes used to treat migraines.

Dr. Oren Tessler – Migraines In Women

What some migraineurs are willing to risk to shut off that pain. T urns out that geĴing under a knife that works on your eyelid is a risk well worth taking for them. This is not a procedure recommended for every migraineur.To be eligible for this eyelid cosmetic surgery, you need to meet certain criteria and thus screened to check if you should do this. The surgery essentially decompresses the nerves in the eyelid that trigger migraine episodes in many.

Ereka – AAAS Migraine article

Dr. Oren Tessler, Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, is part of a team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons who report a high success rate using a method to screen and select patients for a specic surgical migraine treatment technique. More than 90% of the patients who underwent this surgery to decompress the nerves that trigger migraines experienced relief and also got a bonus cosmetic eyelid surgery.

Is Plastic Surgery the Hail Mary play for Battling Migraines

From the time she was finishing elementary school, Hillary Mickell has battled migraines.Sometimes I’d have six in a day, and then I wouldn’t have any for a week, but then I’d have frequent migraines for six straight months,” said Mickell, a 50-year-old San Francisco marketing professional.“When I was pursuing my own startup a few years ago they really ratcheted up.

JSUR-Migraine Editorial

A major research interest of mine is in the treatment of mi-graines with surgical techniques. First discovered by Dr.Guyuron, as a side effect of forehead rejuvenation surgical nerve decompres-sion in select patients has shown tremendous promise in alleviating symptoms of patients previously diagnosed with migraines. There is now significant clinical evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of these procedures when properly indicated.

Non-endoscopic migraine surgery

A revised version of a surgical procedure to treat severe chronic migraine headaches led to significant symptom relied more than 90 percent of the time in patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Physicians from the MGH Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery report that more than half of 35 patients treated with the non-endoscopic procedure.

New Orleans Living Mag Migraines

Until recently, effective treatment for chronic migraine headaches was a medical mystery, stumping doctors and leaving migraine sufferers in pain.“You look at the history of how migraines are treated and the theories behind migraines, and to this day, there are multiple theories about the source of migraines and what causes them,” says Dr. Oren Tessler, a microsurgeon specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Study confirms benefit of surgical treatment for migraines

Dr.Oren Tessler, Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, is part of a team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons who report a high success rate using a method to screen and select patients for a specific surgical migraine treatment technique. More than 90% of the patients who underwent this surgery to decompress the nerves that trigger migraines experienced relief and also got a bonus cosmetic eyelid surgery.

The ASAP

The ASPS is committed to patient safety, advancing the quality of care, innovative treatments, and practicing medicine based upon the best available scientific evidence. Due to the growing interest regarding the migraine headache surgery, the ASPS Health Policy’s Patient Safety Subcommittee created a task force to examine the safety and efficacy of peripheral nerve/trigger site surgery for refractory chronic migraine headache (MH). The task force examined the available evidence on best practices for peripheral nerve/trigger site surgery for refractory chronic MH. This statement summarizes their findings and recommendations.

VIDEOS

Dr. Tessler’s Credentials

Oren Tessler, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon serving the Phoenix area. Dr. Tessler is highly proficient in multiple plastic surgery techniques, including facial surgery, breast procedures, body contouring, and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Tessler earned his MD – MBA at McGill University. His plastic and reconstructive surgical training was concluded at McGill University followed by his fellowship training at Harvard University, both of which are the best and top ranked medical programs throughout the U.S. and Canada. He was appointed as an assistant and associate professor of Plastic Surgery at Louisiana State University and Tulane University. Dr. Tessler has also served as Director of Plastic Surgery at University Medical Center, as well as contributed research and trained dozens of the best upcoming rhinoplasty surgeons. Dr. Tessler’s passion lies in restoring form and function while improving the quality of life of his patients. He brings a friendly and personalized approach to plastic surgery while working with highly qualified anesthesiologists and other support staff who strive to deliver the best nose jobs Phoenix, AZ has to offer.