Could a Simple Nerve Block be Considered as a Treatment Option for Occipital Neuralgia with Both Short-Term and Long-Term Effects?

Objective: The study aims to show both the short- and long-term treatment outcome of occipital nerve block (ONB) patients with occipital neuralgia (ON).Methods: Patients who visited our hospital between 2013 and 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were excluded if the medical records were incomplete, if they had received a cervical operation, if they had a traumatic event prior to the symptom onset, or if the follow-up period was less than 3 months. ONB targeted the greater occipital nerve, the lesser occipital nerve or both. Short term follow-up period was defined as 3 months and long term was defined as 12 months. Injection consisted of a mixture of triamcinolone acetonide, lidocaine, and normal saline. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was recorded and compared before and during the follow-up to period to assess treatment outcome.Results: Clinical charts of 309 candidates were reviewed and 72 patients were excluded, making it 237 patients. VAS scores significantly decreased in both 3-month follow-up (from 7.20±0.94 to 3.48 ±1.66, p<0.05) and after 1 year follow-up (from 7.20±0.94 to 2.71±1.07, p<0.05). Only 8 patients (3.3%) were refractory to ONB and the procedure was found to be relatively safe since only 2 patients (0.8%) showed transient side effects.Conclusion: There are many treatment options for ON. However, from the results of our study, conservative treatment via ONB may have sufficient effect in controlling symptoms of ON in both short and long term.