Effects of onabotulinumtoxin A in patients concurrently diagnosed with chronic migraine encephalalgia and temporomandibular disorders: A retrospective case series

• Published in: Cranio Vol. 42; no. 6; p. 688
• Main Authors: Gross, Andrew J, Hudson, John W, Matias, Catalina, Jones, Brady J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.11.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Arthroscopy - methods; Botulinum Toxins, Type A - administration & dosage; Botulinum Toxins, Type A - therapeutic use; Chronic Disease; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Migraine Disorders - drug therapy; Neuromuscular Agents - therapeutic use; Pain Measurement; Retrospective Studies; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - drug therapy; Treatment Outcome; OnabotulinumtoxinA; pain; arthroscopy; headache; chronic migraine; temporomandibular disorder
• ISSN: 2151-0903
• DOI: 10.1080/08869634.2022.2045114

Chronic migraine encephalalgia (CME) with concomitant temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a serious illness with limited effective treatment options. This study explores the effectiveness of onabotulinumtoxinA (BtxA) as an adjunct therapeutic to TMJ arthroscopy in the relief of CME. A retrospective cohort study of patients receiving TMJ arthroscopy, with or without BtxA injections for CME, was conducted. Variables assessed include pain using a visual analog scale (VAS), maximal incisal opening (MIO), muscle soreness, and headache frequency and duration. Sixty patients (44 BtxA, 16 Control), consisting of 56 (93.3%) females, met inclusion criteria. A significant reduction in pain is reported with patients receiving BtxA ( < 0.0001) on VAS as compared to Control group. BtxA treatment also significantly reduced headache frequency and duration ( < 0.05). These results support the use of adjunctive BtxA treatment with arthroscopy for the treatment of CME in the context of TMD.