ASA Abstract Reviews

A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Botox® in Pediatric Patients Experiencing Migraines: A Five-Year Retrospective Study

Michael-David Calderon, BS; Wei Der Wu, BS; Michael Ma, BS; Joseph De Los Santos, BS; Cecilia Canales, MPH; Joseph B. Rinehart, MD; Shalini Shah, MD
UC Irvine Health, Orange, California, United States
(Summarized and submitted by Michael-David Calderon, BS)

The onset of migraine symptoms typically appears during late childhood or adolescence. To date, the only FDA-approved rescue medication for pediatric patients suffering from a migraine is Topiramate (Tomapax). With local Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, the research team in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at UC Irvine Health performed a retrospective chart review on pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic migraine. The Principal Investigator, Shalini Shah, MD treated a total of 10 subjects diagnosed with chronic migraine – aged 8-17 years old at the time of visit — with OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) from January 2012 – March 2017.

Our results indicated that patients treated with Botox® had a statistically significant decrease in frequency, duration, and severity in migraines post-treatment. Moving forward, our team was awarded with a grant from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) to perform a prospective clinical trial (NCT03055767) with a more robust study design. With local IRB and FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approval, Dr. Shah is actively recruiting prospective candidates to evaluate the effectiveness of Botox as a modality for the prophylaxis of chronic migraine in pediatric patients.