Efficacy of sphenopalatine ganglion block in nasal mucosal headache presenting as facial pain

Abstract

Background: When intranasal contact points are the cause of headache and facial pain, opinions regarding whether to remove intranasal contact points when they are believed to be the cause of headache and facial pain are divided.

Clinical Presentation: A 46-year-old woman visited the authors’ pain clinic with complaints of right nasal pain accompanied by frontotemporal headache. She first met an Otorhinolaryngologist and a neurologist. Based on nasal endoscopy and pain pattern, they presumed that her pain was a nasal mucosal headache rather than migraine. A mild septal deviation to the right side with bony spur near the inferior turbinate was observed. The use of medication provided very insufficient relief. However, the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block provided excellent pain relief, and the effect lasted for six months.

Conclusion: Considering the mechanism of pain in intranasal contact point headache, (SPG) block is a potentially effective therapeutic tool.

Keywords:

• Sphenopalatine ganglion block
• nasal mucosal headache
• facial pain
• trigeminal afferent nerves