Seminars in neurology
-
Neuropathic pain (NP), a common form of human pain, often poorly responds to analgesic medications. In this review the authors discuss the pathophysiology and conventional treatment of neuropathic pain and provide evidenced-based statements on the efficacy of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) in this form of pain. The level of efficacy for BoNT treatment in each category of NP is defined according to the published guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology. ⋯ It is probably effective (level B) in posttraumatic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy. The data on complex regional pain syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, occipital neuralgia, and phantom limb pain are preliminary and await conduction of randomized, blinded clinical trials. Much remains to be learned about the most-effective dosage and technique of injection, optimum dilutions, and differences among BoNTs in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
-
Seminars in neurology · Feb 2016
The Use of Botulinum Toxin in the Management of Headache Disorders.
Headache disorders can be further classified as episodic (< 15 headache days per month) or chronic (≥ 15 headache days per month for more than 3 months). Chronic migraine (CM) requires that headaches occur on 15 or more days a month for more than 3 months. These headaches must be migraines on at least 8 days per month. ⋯ Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) has been the most widely studied serotype for therapeutic purposes. A major clinical advantage of type A toxin arises from its prolonged duration of action due to the longevity of its protease (90 days in rats and probably much longer in human neurons). Clinical studies suggest that BoNT is a safe treatment and is efficacious for the prevention of some forms of migraine, such as CM, and perhaps high-frequency episodic migraine.