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Surgical Treatment of Chronic Headaches and Migraines pp 27–44Cite as

Patient Evaluation and Diagnosis of Trigger Sites: A Practical Guide

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Abstract

Patient selection is one of the most important variables to ensure success in migraine surgery. The prevalence of patients who are candidates for surgery is unknown, but it is clear that not everyone with migraines/headache/nerve pain is eligible. This chapter is a step-by-step guide detailing our approach to successful patient selection from screening to the preoperative visit. Screening questionnaires with detailed descriptions and in-depth review of all trigger sites are included. The specific pain patterns, pain sketches, symptoms, physical exam, imaging findings, nerve block or Botox injections, and differential diagnoses are discussed for each trigger.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lisa Gfrerer & William Gerald Austen Jr.

Authors
  1. Lisa Gfrerer
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  2. William Gerald Austen Jr.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to William Gerald Austen Jr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Professor, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Ahmed M. Afifi

  2. Plastic and Peripheral Nerve Surgeon, Peled Plastic Surgery, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Ziv M. Peled

  3. Professor of Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Surgery Chief of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

    Jeffrey E. Janis

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Gfrerer, L., Austen, W.G. (2020). Patient Evaluation and Diagnosis of Trigger Sites: A Practical Guide. In: Afifi, A., Peled, Z., Janis, J. (eds) Surgical Treatment of Chronic Headaches and Migraines. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36794-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36794-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-36793-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-36794-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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