Non-invasive neuromodulation in the acute treatment of migraine: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Abstract

A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation modalities for the treatment of acute migraine. Although pharmacological treatments are the gold standard for the management of acute migraine, some patients may require non-pharmacological treatment options. Non-invasive neuromodulation may provide an alternative, and techniques include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS), non-painful remote electrical stimulation (NRES), and external trigeminal nerve stimulation (e-TNS). This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed following PRISMA guidelines. We searched PUBMED, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials, and LILACS databases. We included randomized controlled clinical trials studying patients with migraine treated with any form of non-invasive neuromodulation. Primary outcome was pain freedom within 2h post-treatment. Secondary outcomes were pain relief within 2-h post-treatment and sustained pain freedom and sustained pain relief 48h post-treatment. Pooled analysis demonstrated a significant effect of non-invasive neuromodulation on pain-free rates within 2h (RR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.05; P < 0.00001) and pain relief rates within 2h (RR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.05; P = 0.005) post-treatment. Non-invasive neuromodulation had no significant effect on sustained pain freedom at 48h (RR, 1.56; 95% CI, 0.68 to 3.59; P = 0.29) or sustained pain relief at 48h (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 0.57 to 3.77; P = 0.43) after administration. Neuromodulation has demonstrated some efficacy in acute migraine management and may be considered in the treatment paradigm of acute migraine in patients with contraindications to pharmacological therapies.