Cauterization of inferior nasal turbinate for idiopathic headache

OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic headache is a stressful complaint, whose treatment is not well established. Our study is an attempt to examine the relationship between idiopathic headache and inferior turbinate cauterization as a surgical treatment, and to explain the central physiological effect of cauterization.

METHODS: Thirty-four patients, 15 females and 19 males complaining of idiopathic headache were treated by inferior turbinate cauterization. Cauterization of the inferior-medial aspect of the turbinate was carried out once under local anesthesia for few seconds. This study was performed between November 1993 and December 1996, a joint project of the Zarka Government Hospital, Zarka and Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

RESULTS: More than 82% of the patients showed significant improvement in the sense of decreased headache.

CONCLUSION: Cautery of the nasal turbinate could be a novel method for treatment of idiopathic headache.