Migraines & Headaches Health Center

New Treatment for Cluster Headaches

Not Sure Why It Works

Neurologist Jean Schoenen, MD, PhD, who co-authored the Belgian study, tells WebMD that the next step is to figure out why the stimulation treatment works.

“We really don’t know,” he says. “We are hoping that brain imaging studies can tell us which areas of the brain are affected by this treatment.”

Diamond, who is founder and director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, says he would consider trying the nerve stimulation procedure in his patients with drug-resistant chronic cluster headaches.

But he dismissed the idea that it is the only minimally invasive treatment option for these patients. He tells WebMD that he has had good responses with another minimally invasive treatment.

“The main message is that there are effective treatments for the vast majority of cluster headache patients,” he says.