Repeated Corticosteroid Injections Around the Greater Occipital Nerve (GON) as Prophylactic Treatment in Chronic Cluster Headache
Background: - The effect of repeated GON-injections has never been studied in a double-blind randomized trial as a prophylactic therapy in a well-documented group of chronic patients. As such, (repeated) GON-injection has not yet found its place in current (inter)national treatment protocols for chronic cluster headache.
Objectives: - The primary objective is to determine if repeated GON-injection result in effective control of cluster headache attacks for more days compared to placebo in chronic cluster headache.
Eligibility: - Patients will be selected from the LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center) and CWZ (Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital) chronic cluster headache populations, diagnosed based upon the ICHD-3.
Design: - Bi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled retention trial with a maximum follow-up of one year.
• Age ≥18 and ≤ 70 years
• Chronic cluster headache (International Classification of Headache Disorders - third edition; ICHD-3)
• Ictal pain must be always at the same side
• ≥4 weekly attacks of cluster headache in the prospective one-month baseline observation period
• On a stable regimen of cluster headache prophylactics for \>4 weeks prior to onset of study treatment and agreeing not to increase the dose and not starting a new cluster prophylactic during the study period