Characteristics and natural disease history of persistent idiopathic facial pain, trigeminal neuralgia, and neuropathic facial pain.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize key features, and to assess the clinical development of common nondental facial pain syndromes such as persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP), trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and neuropathic facial pain (NEUROP).

Methods: This is a longitudinal study in which prospective questionnaire data of patients presenting to a specialized outpatient clinic were collected from 2009 to 2019. A telephone interview was conducted with the same patients in 2020 to assess the natural disease history.

Idiopathic Facial Pain Syndromes–An Overview and Clinical Implications.

Background: Idiopathic facial pain syndromes are relatively rare. A uniform classification system for facial pain became available only recently, and many physicians and dentists are still unfamiliar with these conditions. As a result, patients frequently do not receive appropriate treatment.

Altered trigeminal pain processing on brainstem level in persistent idiopathic facial pain.

Persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP) is a poorly understood chronic pain syndrome of the face, formerly known as atypical facial pain. It is characterized by a constant painful sensation without neurological abnormalities and without clinically objectifiable cause. Similarities to neuropathic pain conditions have been discussed and are currently thought to be relevant for the pathophysiology of this disease.

Central effects of erenumab in migraine patients: An event-related functional imaging study.

Objective: To determine whether erenumab, a new monoclonal antibody to the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor, exerts functional central effects in migraineurs by performing functional imaging scans on patients treated with erenumab.

Methods: We conducted an fMRI study on 27 patients with migraine using a well-established trigeminal nociceptive paradigm, examining patients before and 2 weeks after administration of the CGRP receptor antibody erenumab 70 mg.

Results: Comparing both visit days in all patients (n = 27) revealed that erenumab leads to a decrease in activation in the right thalamus (i.

Predicting the outcome of the greater occipital nerve block - an observational study on migraine patients with and without musculoskeletal cervical impairment.

Background And Objective: The importance of neck pain and the trigeminocervical complex in migraine is of high pathophysiological interest since a block to the greater occipital nerve is more effective for some primary headaches than others. This observational study hypothesised that the response to manual palpation of the upper cervical spine predicts the efficacy of the greater occipital nerve-block.

Methods: We divided patients, scheduled by a neurologist to receive a greater occipital nerve-block to reduce their migraine symptoms, into three groups: Patients with no pain response to manual palpation of the neck, patients with local pain, and those with referred pain to the head.

Stabbing facial pain reminiscent of primary stabbing headache.

Primary stabbing headache (PSH) is a transient and localized headache disorder. Facial variants of this rare pain syndrome have not been previously described. Four patients (n = 2 female, 2 male) presented themselves to our headache and facial pain outpatient clinic.

Facial presentations of migraine, TACs, and other paroxysmal facial pain syndromes.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of facial pain (V2 and/or V3) presentations among nearly 3,000 patients with headache treated in a university tertiary care center.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2018, we routinely assessed the prevalence of facial pain presentations of all patients with primary headaches.

Results: Of 2,912 patient datasets, 291 patients reported facial pain either as an independent or as an additional symptom.

Shortcomings and missed potentials in the management of migraine patients - experiences from a specialized tertiary care center.

Background: Migraine is a common and severely disabling neurological disorder affecting millions of patients in Europe. Despite the availability of evidence-based national and international guidelines, the management of migraine patients often remains poor, which is often attributed to a low availability of headache specialists. The aim of this study was to investigate the adherence to national guidelines and to assess the possible potential of optimized therapy regimens in migraine patients.