Turning off the siren of the night: botulinum toxin for the treatment of nocturnal groaning. A case series

Yan Tereshko; Christian Lettieri; Gian Luigi Gigli; Annacarmen Nilo; Riccardo Garbo; Mariarosaria Valente

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.002

Turning off the siren of the night: botulinum toxin for the treatment of nocturnal groaning. A case series

Sleep Med. 2022 Apr:92:15-18. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.002. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Authors

Yan Tereshko¹, Christian Lettieri², Gian Luigi Gigli³, Annacarmen Nilo⁴, Riccardo Garbo⁴, Mariarosaria Valente³

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Neurology Unit, Udine University Hospital, Piazzale Santa Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100, Udine, Italy. Electronic address: dr.tereshko.yan@gmail.com.
² Neurology Unit, Udine University Hospital, Piazzale Santa Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100, Udine, Italy.
³ Clinical Neurology Unit, Udine University Hospital, Piazzale Santa Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100, Udine, Italy; Department of Medicine (DAME), University of Udine, Via Colugna 50, 33100, Udine, Italy.
⁴ Clinical Neurology Unit, Udine University Hospital, Piazzale Santa Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100, Udine, Italy.

PMID: 35325764
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.002

Abstract

Two patients diagnosed with Nocturnal Groaning were treated with intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) in the thyroarytenoid muscle with significant reduction of groaning episodes. Treatment with BoNT/A may be an effective therapy of Nocturnal Groaning, but large clinical studies are needed to determine its role in this clinical setting.

Keywords: Botulinum toxin; Catathrenia; Nocturnal groaning; Parasomnia.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Botulinum Toxins* / therapeutic use
Humans
Parasomnias* / diagnosis
Polysomnography

Substances

Botulinum Toxins