Botulinum Toxin Type A for the Treatment of Auriculotemporal Neuralgia—A Case Series

Abstract

Auriculotemporal neuralgia is a rare pain disorder in which anesthetic nerve blockade is usually effective but not always resolutive. Botulinum toxin type A has proven to be effective in treating neuropathic pain, and patients with auriculotemporal neuralgia could also benefit from this treatment. We described nine patients with auriculotemporal neuralgia treated with botulinum toxin type A in the territory of auriculotemporal nerve innervation. We compared the basal NRS and Penn facial pain scale scores with those obtained 1 month after BoNT/A injections. Both Penn facial pain scale (96.67 ± 24.61 vs. 45.11 ± 36.70, p 0.004; mean reduction 52.57 ± 36.50) and NRS scores (8.11 ± 1.27 vs. 4.22 ± 2.95, p 0.009; mean reduction 3.89 ± 2.52) improved significantly at one month after treatment. The mean duration of the effect of BoNT/A on pain was 95.00 ± 53.03 days and no adverse effects were reported.