PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Qasim A. Khader AU - Khader J. Abdul-Baqi AU - Abbas H. Mansour AU - Faisal I. Mohammed TI - Cauterization of inferior nasal turbinate for idiopathic headache DP - 2003 Jan 01 TA - Saudi Medical Journal PG - 52--54 VI - 24 IP - 1 4099 - http://smj.org.sa/content/24/1/52.short 4100 - http://smj.org.sa/content/24/1/52.full SO - Saudi Med J2003 Jan 01; 24 AB - 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.