BMC NEUROLOGY, cilt.1, ss.1-11, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: Occipital nerve blocks are essential in diagnosing
and treating headache disorders such as migraine, cervicogenic headache, occipital
neuralgia, and cluster headache. In this study, we aimed to
investigate the potential compression points of the greater occipital nerve (GON),
third occipital nerve (TON), and lesser occipital nerve (LON) which are
targeted to block in occipital nerve blocks and to develop a method to detect
these points easily.
Methods: To identify potential compression points of the GON,
TON, and LON, we dissected 43, 41, and 26 cadavers, respectively. A rigid, transparent
tool divided into 1 x 1 cm sections was placed on the external occipital
protuberance to measure the determined points. The cadaveric head was viewed
from above, vertically, and the coordinates corresponding to each point were
noted separately.
Results: Six, four, and one potential entrapment points were
detected for the GON, TON, and LON, respectively. The distances of the
point where the GON arose from the lower border of the obliquus capitis
inferior muscle and the emerging point of the TON from the C2-C3 vertebrae to
the posterior midline were statistically significant in terms of the sides (p= 0.040). Similarly,
there
was a statistical significance between genders for the distance of the point
where the LON arose from the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle
to the posterior midline (p=0.002).
Conclusions: We believe that with
the method developed, the GON, TON, and LON compression points can be easily
localized and blocked in diagnosing and treating patients experiencing
headaches such as migraines, cervicogenic headaches, occipital neuralgia, and cluster headache.
Keywords: Occipital nerve, headache, block, method, anatomy