The Headache and Facial Pain Group is internationally recognised as a centre of clinical and academic excellence in the management of complex head and facial pain disorders. We have a long history of providing both inpatient and outpatient services unique to the United Kingdom, offering treatments that are not readily available elsewhere. The service is dedicated to tertiary referrals from patients with intractable head and facial pain disorder who have been seen by neurologists elsewhere in the country.
We have established international prominence in the field of neuromodulation in headache disorders. Through close collaborations with neurosurgeons we are able to provide highly specialised, multidisciplinary assessments for chronic headaches and facial pain disorders. Our neuromodulation service is at the forefront of providing Occipital Nerve Stimulation for refractory headaches.
We run a comprehensive CSF leak service offering advanced neuroimaging as well as interventional procedures including blood and fibrin patches, endovascular embolisation of CSF venous fistulas and surgical repair of CSF leaks,
Our multidisciplinary service plays a key role in the management of complex headaches, with interdisciplinary input from headache specialist neurologists, spinal and neurosurgeons, headache psychologists, specialist nurses and neuroradiologists. This includes MDT reviews prior to, during and post neuromodulation and facial pain surgery as well as in the management of orthostatic and CSF pressure dysregulation headaches.
In addition to the four consultant neurologists, the clinical service is supported by a locum consultant neurologist, five neurosurgeons, three neuroradiologists advanced nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists, junior doctors and research fellows.
Address
Headache and Facial Pain Group
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
33 Queen Square
London WC1N 3BG
Other referral information
Patients must have been seen by their local neurologist before referral to this service. Please complete the Headache Referral Proforma to avoid delays in appointment allocation and to optimise use of the tertiary appointment.
Where patients have used prophylactic treatments please could you let us know what was used, the highest dose that was reached and also for how long.
E-Referral UCLH Service Name: Headache and Facial Pain Group - Neurology - NHNN – RRV
At our specialist headache clinic, we see patients with a variety of conditions including:
- Chronic migraine
- Cluster headache
- Hemicrania continua and Paroxysmal hemicrania continua
- Medication overuse headache
- New persistent daily headache
- Persistent migraine aura
- Post-traumatic headache
- Secondary headache disorders including spontaneous intracranial hypotension
- SUNCT/SUNA headache
- Facial pain including complex trigeminal neuralgia
- Admissions for specialist investigations including Indomethacin trials, , specialist imaging and pressure monitoring
- Caffeine infusions – used to treat low pressure headaches
- Greater occipital nerve and multiple cranial nerve blocks
- Botulinum toxin injections used to treat chronic migraine in appropriate patients
- Dihydroergotamine infusions (restricted to patients meeting criteria)
- Neuromodulation –, Occipital Nerve stimulation used in refractory Cluster headache and Chronic migraine
- Trigeminal nerve procedures eg microvascular decompression and trigeminal neurolysis
- Epidural blood patches and fibrin patches for CSF leaks.
- Endovascular embolisation of CSF venous fistulas
- Surgical repair of CSF leaks and CSF venous fistulas
When attending for your appointment please ensure you bring a list of any medications you are on and have tried in the past for your headache. It would be helpful if this included the doses that were tried, duration and reason it was stopped.
