Migraine surgery is controversial. I would not consider it until most of the less invasive options have been tried. In my latest book, I give migraine surgery a score of 3, on a 1 to 10 scale. This rating may not be fair because clinical trials suggest that it can be very effective for some patients.
So, when is a referral to a surgeon warranted? Dr. Lisa Gfrerer is highly qualified to address this topic. She will speak on January 25th at a dinner of the NY Headache Club, an informal gathering of headache specialists who practice in the greater NYC area. If you are a headache specialist and would like to attend, send me a message. The meeting is not open to the lay public.
Here is Dr. Lisa Gfrerer’s short bio.
Dr. Gfrerer is an Assistant Professor in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). She received her MD degree at the Medical School of Vienna prior to completing a PhD in Genetics at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. She graduated from the Harvard Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program and completed the Advanced Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Clinically, her focus is peripheral nerve surgery including headache surgery, treatment of nerve pain and compression, breast reinnervation, as well as advanced nerve reconstruction for restoration of motor and sensory function after an iatrogenic and accidental injury. She has built a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research program for headache surgery, breast/chest reinnervation, as well as functional nerve disorders and nerve pain. As an affiliate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) she has further focused on innovation and device development to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration.
