Skip to content

Occipital Nerve Stimulation to Treat Chronic Headaches

Multicenter Feasibility Study of the Bion for Occipital Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Chronic Headaches

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 1Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00205894
Enrollment
20
Registered
2005-09-21
Start date
2004-01-31
Completion date
2007-09-30
Last updated
2008-09-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Headache Disorders

Keywords

Headache, Chronic headache, Migraine, Pain, Cluster headache

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a implantable device, called the bion(R), in the treatment of chronic headache. The bion microstimulator is placed underneath the skin next to the greater occipital nerve. The bion microstimulator then stimulates the nerve by generating small amounts of electrical current.

Detailed description

Chronic migraine and chronic cluster headaches are among the most disabling medical illnesses, inflicting severe functional impairment. These headache subtypes are particularly resistant to current treatment modalities, with the majority of chronic migraine patients continuing to experience frequent or near-daily headaches despite aggressive, multidisciplinary, and multimodal therapy. The refractory nature of these illnesses and the level of devastation they inflict on the lives of their victims has motivated the pursuit of novel treatment approaches. Direct stimulation of the greater occipital nerve has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of chronic migraine and chronic cluster headaches in a small number of patients.

Interventions

DEVICEbion microstimulator

Sponsors

Boston Scientific Corporation
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Be diagnosed with chronic migraine, probable chronic migraine, and/or chronic cluster headache according to the 2004 IHS Classification Criteria (2nd ed.) or be diagnosed with migraine with or without aura 2. Be 18 years of age or older 3. Be willing and able to follow all study-related procedures during the course of the study; 4. Have exhibited refractoriness to two acute medication regimens and two prophylactic medications from two separate preventative classes.

Exclusion criteria

1. Have received a botulinum toxin (botox) injection for treatment of headache within the last 90 days; 2. Have previously undergone destructive ganglionectomy affecting C2/C3 occipital and/or trigeminal distribution or have an occipital blockade currently in effect; 3. Have had a previous surgery in the intended implant area; 4. Have Arnold-Chiari malformation; 5. Have participated within the last 30 days or plan to participate within the next 4 months in a device or drug trial; 6. Be pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant during the study period; 7. Have an implanted electrical device (e.g., pacemaker, spinal cord stimulator) that may interfere with this therapy; and 8. Currently require, or be likely to require, MRI or diathermy.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
The primary safety measure is the incidence of major complications, defined as device or procedure related major adverse events that require medical and surgical intervention.
The primary efficacy measure is a significant reduction in the frequency, severity or duration of the headaches from the preoperative to the three-month follow-up period.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026