Open Access

Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin A on trigeminal neuralgia: A follow‑up retrospective study of 152 patients

  • Authors:
    • Haifeng Zhang
    • Yajun Lian
    • Nanchang Xie
    • Xuan Cheng
    • Chen Chen
    • Hongliang Xu
    • Yake Zheng
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 9, 2019     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7988
  • Pages: 3375-3382
  • Copyright: © Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Botulinum toxin A (BTX‑A) is a promising therapeutic modality against trigeminal neuralgia (TN) with certain controversies pertaining to its application. To provide further information on factors influencing the treatment outcomes of BTX‑A, a retrospective study with 152 patients with TN treated with BTX‑A was performed. The starting time and duration of the therapeutic effect, as well as side effects, of BTX‑A in the treatment of TN were analyzed by sex, age, course of disease, number of branches and injected dose. A total of 136 patients exhibited symptom improvement within 2 weeks following BTX‑A treatment as evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). The effect of BTX‑A was sustained throughout the initial 6 months of the follow‑up and was demonstrated to persist for as long as 28 months. Female sex, short disease course and high injection dose (>70 units) were associated with lower long‑term VAS scores. Patients receiving short‑term medium‑(50‑70 units) or high‑dose injections were more likely to be completely cured. Patients with a median disease course (1‑10 years) or multiple branches were more likely to exhibit facial asymmetry. Based on the stratified analysis, female patients with a median disease course (1‑10 years) exhibited a higher incidence of side effects and male patients achieved better treatment outcomes with high BTX‑A doses. BTX‑A effectively alleviated patients with TN in both short or long term, although the treatment efficacy may depend on patient characteristics.
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November-2019
Volume 18 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Zhang H, Lian Y, Xie N, Cheng X, Chen C, Xu H and Zheng Y: Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin A on trigeminal neuralgia: A follow‑up retrospective study of 152 patients. Exp Ther Med 18: 3375-3382, 2019
APA
Zhang, H., Lian, Y., Xie, N., Cheng, X., Chen, C., Xu, H., & Zheng, Y. (2019). Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin A on trigeminal neuralgia: A follow‑up retrospective study of 152 patients. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 18, 3375-3382. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7988
MLA
Zhang, H., Lian, Y., Xie, N., Cheng, X., Chen, C., Xu, H., Zheng, Y."Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin A on trigeminal neuralgia: A follow‑up retrospective study of 152 patients". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 18.5 (2019): 3375-3382.
Chicago
Zhang, H., Lian, Y., Xie, N., Cheng, X., Chen, C., Xu, H., Zheng, Y."Factors affecting the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin A on trigeminal neuralgia: A follow‑up retrospective study of 152 patients". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 18, no. 5 (2019): 3375-3382. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7988