Preoperative ultrasound evaluation for decompressive surgery for occipital neuralgia: Preliminary results of a case-control study

Abstract

Although no consensus yet exists on the pathogenesis of occipital neuralgia, alterations in the soft tissues surrounding the occipital nerves have been recently demonstrated. To investigate potential differences in these tissues between patients and healthy subjects, we decided to use ultrasound in the study of peripheral neurological pathology. Twenty patients who underwent occipital nerve decompression surgery were included in this retrospective observational study. A group of twenty-two healthy volunteers was considered as a control group for the ultrasound evaluation of the occipital region. Ultrasound was performed to detect morphological alterations and to measure the cross-sectional areas of the greater occipital nerve and the occipital artery in both groups. Pain during the preoperative examination was significantly higher in patients. Ultrasound-detected pathological alterations of the greater occipital nerve were observed in 16 out of 20 patients and 3 out of 22 healthy subjects. Patients suffering from occipital neuralgia could also present perineural fibrosis and morphological alterations of the occipital artery, which were generally not detected in healthy subjects.

During surgery, the appearance of the soft tissues was documented, and the crossing point between nerve and artery was checked. In all subjects evaluated, the greater occipital nerve was bilaterally identified throughout its course. Moreover, in 17 patients out of 20, the preoperative location of pain in the occipital region matched with the contact point of the greater occipital nerve with the occipital artery observed during surgery. Ultrasound appears to be a useful tool for the preoperative evaluation of the trigger points in the treatment of occipital neuralgia.