Objective To investigate the effect of neurolysis on intractable greater occipital nerve neuralgia. Methods From March 1998 to August 2005, twentysix patients suffering from intractable greater occipital nerve neuralgia were treated. There were 12 males and 14 females with an average age of 52 years(ranged 38-63 years). The disease course was 3-7 years. Sixteen cases had a long duration of work with bowing head, 5 cases symptoms appeared after trauma, and others had no identified causes. The visual analogue scales(VAS) scoring was 6.0 to 9.5, averaged 8.6. Seven cases were treated by apocope of obliquus capitis inferior under general anaesthesia and 19 cases were treated by neurolysis of greater occipital nerve under local anaesthesia. The compression mass were examined. Results Symptoms ameliorated or disappeared in 26 cases immediately after operation. The wounds healedby first intention. The pathological results of the removal mass included lymphnode (3 cases), neurilemmoma (2 cases) and scar (5 cases). The VAS scoring of 26 cases was 0 to 5 ( average, 2) 3 days after operation. Twentythree cases were followed up for 1 to 3 years. The VAS scoring of 23 cases was 0 to 4.5 ( average, 1.9) 1 months after operation. Only two cases recurred and the symptoms were ameliorated. Pain aggavated after tiredness and reliveed after oral antiinflammatory analgesics in 6 cases. No relapse occurred in the others. Conclusion The complete neurolysis of greater occipital nerve (including apocope of obliquuscapitis inferior, release between the cucullaris and semispinalis) which make the greater occipital nerve goes without any compression is the key point to treat intractable greater occipital nerve neuralgia.
