Title: Retrospective Case Series for Patients Receiving Ketamine for Migraine Related Chronic Pain

Jeff Lee, Annica Balentine, Christina M. Johnson, Michael Kazior
Erik Baker, Claire T. Rezba, Stefan A Ianchulev

INTRO:
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Previous studies looking at the efficacy of ketamine for the treatment of migraine related pain have yielded conflicting evidence
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Our study describes five refractory migraine patients treated at the Richmond VA Medical Center who showed improvements in pain scores after ketamine infusions
METHODS
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Demographic data, relevant medical history, and ketamine infusion history were obtained for each Veteran from the Computerized Patient Record System
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For each ketamine infusion, the dosage, date of infusion, medications given during the infusion, side effects during and after the infusion, pre/post infusion Department of Defense (DoD) Pain scores and pre/post infusion Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) scores were recorded
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Percent change for pre/post infusion DVPRS and DOD scores as well as the average percent change in DVPRS and DoD scores for each infusion were calculated
RESULTS
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The average percent change in the DVPRS and DoD scores for all 6 infusions combined were an 80% and 78% reduction in pain scores respectively
DISCUSSION
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Our data supports the use of ketamine infusions in patients with refractory migraine related pain
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Limitations of our study include generalizability, duration of effect, and higher than actual percent change values

Ketamine infusions may cause significant decreases in pain due to refractory migraines