Objectives: The goal of this study is to compare efficacy of different protocols of greater occipital nerve block with placebo.
Design: Single centered, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial.
Setting and conduct: Migrainous patients without aura aged between 18 and 65 years, with attack frequency of more than 4 times per month will be recruited. Patients will be entered to the study in three intervention and one control groups, The number of samples in each group will be 20. Patients will be treated with triamcinolone and normal saline in the first group, with lidocaine and normal saline in the second group, with lidocaine and triamcinolone in the third group and with normal saline in the fourth group. Frequency, duration and severity of headache and quality of life will be assessed before, after one and two weeks and after first and second months of intervention. Results will be compared with placebo.
Inclusion criteria: patients with episodic migraine without aura; attack frequency more than 4 times per month; age between 18 and 65 years
Exclusion criteria: no informed consent; prophylactic treatment started within last month; allergy to lidocaine; history of seizure; history of surgery in the occipital region; active infection in occipital region
Intervention: Greater occipital nerve block in four groups of triamcinolone, lidocaine, triamcinolone with lidocaine and normal saline.
Main outcome measures (variables): Headache frequency, duration and severity.