Beyond Wrinkles: Botulinum Toxin for Treatment of Spastic Cerebral Palsy

A systematic review provides reassurance about the effectiveness and safety of botulinum toxin type A but indicates that evidence is insufficient for other medications.

Cerebral palsy (CP) affects more than 10,000 newborn infants in the U.S. each year, and the prevalence in school-age children is 3.6 cases per 1000 children. Most forms of pediatric CP are associated with spasticity that often affects motor development. Indications for treating spasticity include reducing pain and muscle spasm, facilitating use of a brace, improving posture, minimizing contractures, and facilitating mobility. The American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society conducted a systematic review of 218 published studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacologic treatments for spasticity in children with CP.

The authors identified 148 published reports of children with localized or segmental spasticity who …

Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics