A NORTH-East hospital has become the first in the UK to implant a new device for patients suffering with so-called "suicide headaches".

A team of doctors and neurosurgeons at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, have become pioneers of a new treatment for those living with cluster headaches that cause extreme pain on one side of the face.

The severe condition which is distinct from migraine and tension-type headaches, affects around one in 1,000 people and they last for 15 to 180 minutes, occurring up to eight times a day.

A mild electrical stimulation device can be implanted to stimulate nerves via wires nestled under the skin, near the occipital nerves at the base of the head.

The wires of the AnkerStim lead and neurostimulation system are connected to a small battery, implanted under the collarbone, chest wall or in the buttock, which generates stimulations to interfere with pain signals.

Consultant in pain management, Dr Ashish Gulve, implanted the UK’s first AnkerStim neurostimulator in February with support from neurosurgeon, Mr Farooq Aziz.

Dr Gulve believed the advanced technology will make a difference to around 15 to 20 patients a year at James Cook who are dealing with intractable chronic cluster headaches.

“It’s really nice to be the first in the UK to use this truly innovative product,” he said.

“We are at the forefront for this kind of technology across the world, so when something new comes up we are often first to try innovative neuromodulation therapies.

“At the moment we are only one of the two hospitals in the country implanting this device. It is also available in a select few centres in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Hungary.”

The therapy itself is not new – it has been offered at the Middlesbrough hospital for more than 15 years to patients who have not responded well to more conventional treatments.

However, it often came with serious complications, such as the wire being prone to breaking or moving out of place, which then required another operation to correct it.

The new leading-edge device is designed to reduce these complications, enhancing patient comfort and reducing the number of operations patients have to undergo.