ABSTRACT

An unreasonable amount of tests and excessive hospital visits and workday loss is a matter of dispute in failed headache cases. Current study was designed (retrospective case control study) to estimate the burden of headache on society and investigate the efficacy of great occipital nerve block in providing a costeffective working diagnosis. 64 patients among 136 outpatients presenting with headache were enrolled in the study. For 30 of 64 patients (group A), it was the first time that they were being evaluated for headache. However, 34 of 64 patients (group B) were previously evaluated at various clinics with numerous tests. All patients answered a questionnaire, and subsequently occipital nerve blockade was performed. Visual analog scale was used to measure the efficacy of the procedure. Mean workday loss was 33.4 ± 21.3 days (min 10, max 90 days) in Group B and 5.6 ± 1.8 days (min 1, max 10 days) in Group A. Patients in the group A had the diagnosis of ON or CHA with the use of least number of tests and cost. GON blocks both as diagnostic and therapeutic intervention provided a cost-effective working diagnosis of CHA and ON.