Is any surgical operation undertaken with the goal of reducing or preventing migraines. It is considered as an alternative when other treatments are not effective. The American Headache Society has advised that no physician recommend surgical deactivation of migraine trigger points outside of experimental clinical trials because no accurate estimates exist about the efficacy and harms of the surgery.

Innovative surgical techniques have been developed to help people with migraine headaches. For these reasons, surgical solutions to migraines are actively being researched, particularly those involving the surgical cauterization of the superficial blood vessels of the scalp (the terminal branches of the external carotid artery), the removal of muscles in areas known as “trigger sites”, and those involving the correction of a congenital heart defect. Despite the lack of evidence supporting the removal of muscles, there are over a dozen surgeons actively performing these operations in the US.

Arterial surgery

Migraine surgery involving deactivation of migraine trigger points is not indicated outside of experimental clinical trials because no accurate estimates exist about the efficacy and harms of the surgery.

While some observational studies have suggested possible benefit of the procedure, the amount of available clinical research on migraine surgery does not provide accurate estimates of the surgery's efficacy or describe the harms it causes.

Long-term side effects are unknown and could be problematic.

The American Headache Society and others urge caution about this procedure.

Spinal cord stimulation are sometimes used in cases of severe migraine headache on patients who tend to have multiple attacks per month.