The importance of the greater occipital nerve in the occipital and the suboccipital region for nerve blockade and surgical approaches - An anatomic study on cadavers

Objective: Greater occipital nerve (GUN) blockade is an effective method for treatment of occipital neuralgias. Occipital neuralgia or neuropraxis of this region may be seen particularly as a result of compression of the GUN. This study shows the relationship between the GUN and its external bone landmarks, in order to prevent complications and to perform nerve blockades safely. The study also defines the points where the GON pierces the semispinalis capitis (SSC) and the trapezius, and where the GUN passes the obliquus capitis inferior (OCI), and identifies bone landmarks for places where the GUN may be entrapped