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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
        
(Message started by: sistersue on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:58am)

Title: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by sistersue on Aug 8^th, 2007, 3:58am

A new treatment is being tested and it sounds like it could be a no-side effect miracle. I can't tell you where I read about it because my STUPID msn won't let me access my email tonight. When I'm able to find the article, I'll tell you where to go to see it. They place a "stimulator" on the hypothalamus gland to stop CH. It sounds very promising.

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by MR_FLOOR on Aug 8^th, 2007, 4:59am

::) ::) ::) ::)

Dave

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by Brewcrew on Aug 8^th, 2007, 8:20am

http://www.clipartheaven.com/clipart/kids_stuff/images_(a_-_f)/fishing.gif

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by Bob_Johnson on Aug 8^th, 2007, 9:13am

Brain. 2005 Apr; 128 (Pt 4): 940-7

Hypothalamic stimulation in chronic cluster headache: a pilot study of efficacy and mode of action.

Schoenen J, Di Clemente L, Vandenheede M, Fumal A, De Pasqua V, Mouchamps M, Remacle JM, de Noordhout AM.

University Department of Neurology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium; University Department of Neuroanatomy, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.

Summary We enrolled six patients suffering from refractory chronic cluster headache in a pilot trial of neurostimulation of the ipsilateral ventroposterior hypothalamus using the stereotactic coordinates published previously. After the varying durations needed to determine optimal stimulation parameters and a mean follow-up of 14.5 months, the clinical outcome is excellent in three patients (two are pain-free; one has fewer than three attacks per month), but unsatisfactory in one patient, who only has had transient remissions. Mean voltage is 3.28 V, diplopia being the major factor limiting its increase. When the stimulator was switched off in one pain-free patient, attacks resumed after 3 months until it was turned on again. In one patient the implantation procedure had to be interrupted because of a panic attack with autonomic disturbances. Another patient died from an intracerebral haemorrhage that developed along the lead tract several hours after surgery; there were no other vascular changes on post-mortem examination. After 1 month, the hypothalamic stimulation induced resistance against the attack-triggering agent nitroglycerin and tended to increase pain thresholds at extracephalic, but not at cephalic, sites. It had no detectable effect on neurohypophyseal hormones or melatonin excretion. We conclude that hypothalamic stimulation has remarkable efficacy in most, but not all, patients with treatment-resistant chronic cluster headache. Its efficacy is not due to a simple analgesic effect or to hormonal changes. Intracerebral haemorrhage cannot be neglected in the risk evaluation of the procedure. Whether it might be more prevalent than in deep-brain stimulation for movement disorders remains to be determined.

PMID: 15689358 [PubMed]
=================
Neurology. 2006 Jul 11;67(1):150-2.

Hypothalamic stimulation for intractable cluster headache: long-term experience.

Leone M, Franzini A, Broggi G, Bussone G.

Istituto Nazionale Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy. leone@istituto-besta.it

The authors report long-term results of continuous hypothalamic stimulation in 16 chronic drug-refractory patients with cluster headache (CH). At a mean follow-up of 23 months, 13 patients are persistently pain-free or almost pain-free, and the other 3 are improved. There are no persistent side effects. Hypothalamic stimulation is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated alternative to surgery for chronic patients with drug-refractory CH.

PMID: 16832097 [PubMed - in process]

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by sistersue on Aug 8^th, 2007, 8:51pm

I read about it on the Mayo Clinic site under "experimental treatments" or "promising treatments" or something like that.

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by Jonny on Aug 8^th, 2007, 8:58pm

on 08/08/07 at 09:13:12, Bob_Johnson wrote:

In one patient the implantation procedure had to be interrupted because of a panic attack with autonomic disturbances. Another patient died from an intracerebral haemorrhage that developed along the lead tract several hours after surgery

No thanks!

on 08/08/07 at 03:58:00, sistersue wrote:

It sounds very promising.

LMMFAO! ;;D

Title: Re: Hypothalamus Stimulator - new treatment?
Post by Guiseppi on Aug 9^th, 2007, 10:27am

They talked about this procedure at the convention, when one of the side effects is death.........I kind of shied away from it. Episodic for almost 30 years, I'll stick with 02, lithium, trex and cafergot. the side effects are often times annoying, but certainly manageable.

While certainly an option and something that may show future promise, there are many many options available to you before you'd want to try surgery.

Guiseppi