Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a surgical treatment for cranial nerve disorders via a small craniotomy.
Migraine is the
condition which has entangled a large number of population. Researcher have
tried many pain killers to get rid of it, but sumatriptan has been the most
successful drug so far. Sumatriptan falls under the triptan class of drugs
which is beneficial in dealing with different headaches as well as migraine. It
has emerged to be a very potent analgesic for postcraniotomy headache as shown
in this study.
Microvascular
decompression (MVD) is a surgical treatment for cranial nerve disorders via a
small craniotomy. The postoperative pain of this procedure can be classified as
surgical site somatic pain and postcraniotomy headache similar in nature to a
migraine, including its association with photophobia, nausea, and vomiting.
This headache can be difficult to treat and can impact on postoperative
recovery. Sumatriptan is used to treat migraine-like headaches in various
settings. This single-centre randomized controlled trial investigated whether
postoperative administration of sumatriptan after MVD surgery impacts the
quality of postoperative recovery.
Fifty patients
who complained of postoperative headache after MVD were randomized to receive
an S.C. injection of sumatriptan (6 mg) or saline. The primary outcome was
quality of recovery as measured by the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score at
24 h.
The QoR-40 scores
were significantly higher in the sumatriptan group (median 184; interquartile
range 169–196) than in the placebo group (133; 119–155; P<0.01), suggesting
higher quality of recovery. The sumatriptan group also had significantly lower
headache scores at 4, 12, and 24 h. There were no significant differences in
other secondary outcomes.
Use of
sumatriptan improved the quality of recovery as measured by the QoR-40 and
reduction of headache at 24 h after surgery. Sumatriptan is a useful
alternative treatment for postcraniotomy headache. The mechanism remains
unknown but could be related to reduction in headache, mood modulation, or
both, mediated by a serotonin effect.
British journal of anaesthesia
Sumatriptan improves postoperative quality of recovery and reduces postcraniotomy headache after cranial nerve decompression
L. Venkatraghavan et al.
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