New cutting edge nerve procedure relieves migraine permanently

Oct 21 2009

The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that a 57-year-old Plainfield man reports he is free of constant headache pain after undergoing a new cutting edge nerve procedure to permanently eliminate pain caused by migraines. The procedure was performed by plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Matthew Kaufman, of the Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey on August 4, 2009.

The surgery was performed on Mr. Edgar Freire, a constant migraine sufferer, who was not obtaining pain relief from medication. As part of the procedure, Dr. Kaufman released muscle tissue around Mr. Freire’s supraorbital nerve (upper eyelid area) to relieve the tension causing his severe migraine pain. The surgery, called “nerve decompression,” is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure and took approximately one hour.

“I was very pleased to hear of Edgar’s results,” said Dr. Kaufman. “As migraine headaches are often difficult to treat with medication, we are encouraged by the success of nerve decompression surgery around the peripheral trigger sites of these headaches. In fact, as recent studies have shown (as published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), the surgery has proven effective in eliminating the pain in patients suffering from chronic moderate to severe migraine headaches.”

At this time, not all migraine sufferers are eligible for surgery. Candidates for the procedure must experience migraines caused by a specific trigger site and must have benefited from Botox treatment consistently over the course of several months. Three of the most common trigger sites include the frontal (forehead), occipital (back of head) and temporal (temples) region. Once the trigger site is identified, the surgery is then performed to release nerve tension around that given region.

Dr. Kaufman is part of the medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often unaware that a treatment is available. Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

• Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
• Diabetic Neuropathy
• Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
• Facial Reanimation