EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF BOTULINUM TOXIN TYPE A IN THE TREATMENT OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE

Michał Domin; Anita Zięba; Justyna Całka; Mateusz Taranowicz; Dominika Zdobylak; Karolina Ollik; Kamil Harenza; Monika Kowalska; Katarzyna Ścibisz; Olga Kowalczyk

doi:10.31435/ijitss.1(49).2026.5143

Authors

Michał Domin Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński Voivodeship Specialist Hospital, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9081-8485
Anita Zięba 1st Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9075-6555
Justyna Całka 107th Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Walcz, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9378-6920
Mateusz Taranowicz 118th Military Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Elk, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2233-055X
Dominika Zdobylak 4th Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Wroclaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5702-7136
Karolina Ollik 10th Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Bydgoszcz, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9577-9648
Kamil Harenza Mikołaj Pirogow Provincial Specialist Hospital, Lodz, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6200-4672
Monika Kowalska 4th Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Wroclaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1930-6460
Katarzyna Ścibisz 1st Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic, SPZOZ, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0491-8783
Olga Kowalczyk Norbert Barlicki Memorial Teaching Hospital No. 1 of the Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4606-7736

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.1(49).2026.5143

Keywords:

Botulinum Toxin, BTX-A, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Neuralgia, Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe neuropathic pain disorder characterized by recurrent unilateral, electric shock–like facial pain. The firstly chosen treatments are usually pharmacological therapies. Although, the usage of botulinum toxin (BTX) injections are investigated due to its high levels of safety and effectiveness and low rates of side effects at the same time. This systematic review is focused on an analysis of different studies to confirm the advantages of BTX in the case of TN.

In this study there were taken into consideration some randomized controlled trials, prospective studies, open-label studies, and case reports. In total 25 studies were analyzed. The research was focused on the reduction of pain intensity, frequency of recurrence, contentment of patients and rate of side effects.

The results showed that BTX-A treatment in TN can be an effective and safe option for the patients. The reduction of pain intensity and frequency of attacks was reported. The findings were supported by some placebo controlled groups. In some cases there was even achieved a complete remission of symptoms. The adverse effects were rare and generally mild and transient.

The BTX treatment gave promising results but the long term efficiency should be still investigated. There is also a high need to perform some enlarged studies with standardized procedures of BTX injections which would include the placebo control groups.

In conclusion the usage of BTX-A in NT treatment appears to be an effective and safe option and a great alternative to traditional pharmacological therapy.

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