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Editor: Marc Jay Bern
Profession: Defective Medical Device Lawyer

Category: Medtronic News

Medtronic is working on an experimental device for stimulating nerves that could help patients who suffer from chronic migraine pain to find relief, according to a new study.

More than 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, and at least 800,000 of them suffer from chronic headaches that resist standard treatments.

The new therapy works to interrupt pain signals by sending electrical impulses to the central nervous system through an electrode surgically implanted under the skin and on the back of the neck. The electrode is then connected to a wire that is under the skin and connected to a pulse generator.

The treatment, known as occipital nerve stimulation, generated a positive response in 11 to 28 patients who were implanted with the neurostimulation device during a prospective study over the duration of three months at nine different medical centers. One out of 33 patients within two control groups responded positively.

The results of the study are hopeful, but only preliminary, More research is required to confirm initial findings, which are expected to be presented at the 50th annual scientific meeting of the American headache Society in Boston, this week.