Ivan Garza

Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Daily Headache

Chronic daily headache (CDH) is a descriptive term that encompasses multiple headache diagnoses and affects approximately 4% of the general adult population. Chronic daily headache results in significant pain and suffering with substantial impact on quality of life, and enormous economic costs to society. Although most patients with primary CDH suffer from chronic migraine or chronic tension-type headache, other primary and secondary headache disorders can also manifest as a CDH syndrome. For CDH management to succeed, secondary headaches need to be ruled out with proper investigations when judged necessary. If the diagnosis of primary CDH is established, diagnosis of the specific CDH subtype is imperative to institute appropriate treatment. The diagnosis and management of distinct CDH entities, chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache, and hemicrania continua, are the primary forms of CDH and the emphasis of this review. Although, strictly speaking, medication overuse headache is a secondary form of CDH, it is also highlighted in this review given its frequent association with primary CDH.

Experience With Botulinum Toxin Type A in Medically Intractable Pediatric Chronic Daily Headache

In adults, botulinum toxin type A has been studied as a potentially effective treatment for chronic daily headache. For pediatric chronic daily headache, the literature evaluating efficacy of botulinum toxin type A is sparse, with no studies assessing tolerability. The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to assess tolerability and efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of pediatric chronic daily headache. The series comprises 10 patients (ages 11-17 years) who received a standard 100-unit dose of onabotulinumtoxinA (trade name, Botox) for refractory chronic daily headache. Attention was given to therapeutic history, efficacy, and tolerability. The patients had attempted an average of 8.0 ± 2.40 S.D. therapies prior to botulinum toxin type A. Most patients reported adverse events from at least one of these prior medications. With botulinum toxin type A, four patients (40%) reported subjective but clinically meaningful relief, consisting of a decrease in headache intensity, and two patients additionally noted a decrease in headache frequency. The four responders noted improvements in quality of life. Three patients experienced minor adverse events from botulinum toxin type A. This case series suggests that botulinum toxin type A can be well tolerated and may be a useful therapeutic in pediatric patients with highly medically intractable chronic daily headache.

Craniocervical Junction Schwannoma Mimicking Occipital Neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia is a very well recognized cause of posterior headache. Although hypoesthesia may be found in the individual occipital nerves territory, the remaining neurologic exam is typically normal. An abnormal neurologic exam is an alert for potential underlying causes of symptoms.

Critical analysis of the use of onabotulinumtoxinA (botulinum toxin type A) in migraine

OnabotulinumtoxinA, a neurotoxin, has been studied in numerous trials as a novel preventive therapy for migraine headache. The data would support that it may be effective at reducing headache days in patients suffering from chronic migraine (≥15 headache days/month, with eight or more of those migraine headache days). The mechanism by which onabotulinumtoxinA exerts its effects on migraine is not yet understood. It is known to inhibit acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, but this probably does not explain the observed antinociceptive properties noted in preclinical and clinical trials. This review will discuss the known mechanisms of action of botulinum toxin type A, and will review the available randomized, placebo-controlled trials that have looked at its efficacy as a migraine preventative. We also describe the onabotulinumtoxinA injection sites used at our institution.

Case series of sixteen patients with nummular headache

Introduction: Nummular headache is a rare primary headache disorder described by a focal circumscribed area of pain (2–6 cm in diameter). Literature on this disorder is sparse. Patients and methods: Here, we describe a case series of 16 patients (6 men, 10 women) seen at the Mayo Clinic. Results: Mean age of onset was 50 years (range, 19–79 years) and mean duration of headache was 7.9 years (range, 0.33–40 years). Location of headache varied and was found to be an average of 3.9 cm in diameter (range, 2–10 cm). Headache was episodic (<15 days/month) in four patients and chronic (>15 days/month) in 12 patients. Attention was paid to therapeutic interventions. Resolution was seen in 38% of patients. Migraine was present in the history of 56% of patients and medication overuse headache was found in 25%. Conclusions: Our series results support previous findings. In our population, no specific therapy was identified to be effective in more than one patient.

Symptomatic Hypnic Headache Secondary to a Nonfunctioning Pituitary Macroadenoma

We report the case of a woman whose hypnic headache syndrome ceased following pituitary tumor removal. Symptomatic hypnic headache cases are rare, but are starting to appear in the literature. Until more is known, brain neuroimaging, ideally with magnetic resonance imaging, should be considered when the initial diagnosis of hypnic headache is made.

Pain relief and persistence of dysautonomic features in a patient with hemicrania continua responsive to botulinum toxin type A

Hemicrania continua was originally described by Sjaastad in 1984 as a headache disorder absolutely responsive to indomethacin (1). The current International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edn (ICHD-II) requires the response to indomethacin to make the diagnosis of this syndrome (2). Unfortunately, approximately one of four treated patients may develop adverse effects, mainly gastrointestinal (3). Others may have comorbidities that preclude the use of indomethacin. Typically, no other medication is as helpful as indomethacin. We report a case of a patient with hemicrania continua who failed all medications known to help this syndrome, but has been under excellent control with botulinum toxin type A for 1 year. Interestingly, the dysautonomic feature associated with the headache persisted even in the absence of pain.

The Trigeminal Trophic Syndrome: An Unusual Cause of Face Pain, Dysaesthesias, Anaesthesia and Skin/Soft Tissue Lesions

The trigeminal trophic syndrome is an unusual consequence of trigeminal nerve injury that results in facial anaesthesia, dysaesthesia and skin ulceration. Limited knowledge is available. The aim of this study was to increase the knowledge of this syndrome by performing a retrospective medical record review and case series report. Fourteen cases were identified. The female : male ratio was 6:1. Mean age of onset was 45 years (range 6-82). The cause was iatrogenic in most. Latent period to onset ranged from days to almost one decade. The majority (n = 12) had bothersome dysaesthesias. Most (n = 9) self-manipulated the face; a third (n = 5) did not. Most ulcers affected the second trigeminal division, mainly in the infraorbital nerve distribution. Neuropathic and/or neuralgic facial pain occurred in 50% (n = 7). Pain intensity was severe in most (n = 6). Gabapentin gave relief in two. To conclude, trigeminal trophic syndrome follows injury to the trigeminal nerve or its nuclei. For unclear reasons, most ulcerations follow infraorbital nerve distribution. Self-manipulation may contribute to ulcer development rather than being required. Gabapentin may help pain.

Persistent primary thunderclap headache responsive to gabapentin

We report the case of a woman with an apparent primary thunderclap headache which occurred frequently until she achieved a therapeutic dosage of gabapentin. Primary thunderclap headache is a rare type of headache that warrants significant testing to rule out more ominous possibilities. Whether gabapentin may help other primary thunderclap headache sufferers or not remains unclear. Further research is needed.

Triggerless neuralgic otalgia: A case series and systematic literature review

Background Isolated neuralgic pain in the deep ear may arise from either nervus intermedius (NIN) or glossopharyngeal (GPN) neuralgias. Current International Headache Society (IHS) International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition (ICHD-2) criteria for these cranial neuralgias require the presence of a characteristic trigger. Aim The aim of this article is to report cases of triggerless neuralgic otalgia to better understand a subset of patients for whom there may be diagnostic uncertainty. Methods Methods included an observational cohort series and systematic literature review. Results We identified five female patients with a median age at symptom onset of 58 (range: 47 to 73). Our patients generally experienced an excellent clinical response to carbamazepine. Patients were contacted by telephone at a median follow-up duration of seven years (range: four to 32) from symptom onset, at which time carbamazepine-free remissions were reported by five of five (100%) of the patients. A systematic review of the literature on neuralgic otalgia led us to conclude that NIN was most common among young women (age < 50), and GPN across a wider range of ages of either gender. Among surgically validated cases reported in the literature, triggers were frequently absent in NIN, and variably noted in GPN. Conclusions We conclude that the presence of a trigger is not fundamental, and may be impractical, to the diagnosis of neuralgic otalgia, but remains important for specificity between NIN and GPN.