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Botulinum toxin as a novel therapeutic approach for auriculotemporal neuralgia
Author(s) -
Pinto Maria J.,
Guerrero Angel L.,
Costa Andreia
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.14043
Subject(s) - medicine , refractory (planetary science) , botulinum toxin , anesthesia , aura , neuralgia , surgery , trigeminal neuralgia , anesthetic , migraine , neuropathic pain , physics , astrobiology
Objectives/Background Auriculotemporal neuralgia is a rare headache disorder. Anesthetic nerve blockade seems to be effective in most cases; however, literature is scarce about the management of refractory cases. Methods Case report. Results We report a 44‐year‐old woman with migraine without aura presented with moderate‐to‐severe right temporoparietal headache. The pain was refractory to multiple pharmacological strategies, including intravenous analgesia. A more throughout examination lead to the diagnosis of auriculotemporal neuralgia and anesthetic nerve blocks were performed. Due to early pain recrudescence, botulinum toxin (BoNT) was tried with better and longstanding pain control. Conclusion BoNT may be a useful treatment option in refractory auriculotemporal neuralgia. The best approach is yet to be established; however, the “follow‐the‐pain” protocol may be a reasonable option.