Headache
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Approximately 1 in 50 Americans is afflicted by chronic migraine (CM). Many patients with CM describe cervicogenic headache. Options for treating CM effectively are at present quite limited. ⋯ For suppression of CCM, ONBs may offer an attractive alternative to orally administered prophylactic therapy.
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Case Reports
Implanted auriculotemporal nerve stimulator for the treatment of refractory chronic migraine.
To report a case of improved pain control and function in a patient with chronic migraine after treatment with auriculotemporal nerve stimulation. ⋯ Auriculotemporal nerve stimulation may be useful tool in the treatment of refractory pain in the temporal distribution due to chronic migraine.
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Migraine aggregates within families. Nonetheless the familial aggregation of chronic daily headaches (CDH) and of episodic headaches of different frequencies has been very poorly studied. Accordingly herein we test the hypothesis that frequency of primary headaches aggregates in the family. ⋯ Frequency of headaches in children is influenced by frequency of headaches in the mother and seems to aggregate in families. Future studies should focus on the determinants of headache aggregation, including genetic and non-genetic factors.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
OnabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of chronic migraine: pooled results from the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phases of the PREEMPT clinical program.
To assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX) as headache prophylaxis in adults with chronic migraine. ⋯ The pooled PREEMPT results demonstrate that onabotulinumtoxinA is an effective prophylactic treatment for chronic migraine. OnabotulinumtoxinA resulted in significant improvements compared with placebo in multiple headache symptom measures, and significantly reduced headache-related disability and improved functioning, vitality, and overall health-related quality of life. Repeat treatments with onabotulinumtoxinA were safe and well tolerated.
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Interventional procedures such as peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) and trigger point injections (TPIs) have long been used in the treatment of various headache disorders. There are, however, little data on their efficacy for the treatment of specific headache syndromes. Moreover, there is no widely accepted agreement among headache specialists as to the optimal technique of injection, type, and doses of the local anesthetics used, and injection regimens. ⋯ Results were generally positive, but should be taken with reservation given the methodological limitations of the available studies. The procedures were generally well tolerated. Evidently, there is a need to perform more rigorous clinical trials to clarify the role of PNBs and TPIs in the management of various headache disorders, and to aim at standardizing the techniques used for the various procedures in this setting.