Botulinum Toxin for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Children treated with botulinum toxin type A for spastic diplegia tended to have better outcomes than those who received placebo.

Studies that have assessed botulinum toxin for the treatment of cerebral palsy in children rarely have provided reliable measures of spasticity. In this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 33 children (mean age, 5.5 years) with spastic diplegia received either placebo or injection of botulinum toxin type A (12 U/kg) at two sites in both gastrocnemius muscles.

Compared with children in the placebo group, those who received the toxin had a significant improvement in an electromechanical measure of spasticity at 3 weeks but not at 8, 12, or 24 weeks. Gross motor function, as assessed by a validated criterion reference tool, significantly improved at 24 weeks but not at 3 and 12 weeks. Other measures of muscle strength and movement tende…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)