Botulinum toxin A for spasticity and associated pain following damage to the central nervous system

Approved indications for BTX-A in Canada include the treatment of dynamic equinus foot deformity due to spasticity in pediatric patients two years of age or older with cerebral palsy, and for the management of focal spasticity including the treatment of upper limb spasticity associated with stroke in adults.8 Disclaimer:. [...] A placebo-controlled RCT (n=33) in children with spastic diplegia showed no difference in the family’s satisfaction with the child’s function, despite documentation of improvement in spasticity and function in the BTX-A treated group after 24 weeks using a variety of objective measures.22 There were no significant differences between groups for frequency of adverse effects. [...] The authors concluded that the effect of BTX-A can be maintained with repeated treatment cycles with duration of effect between 12 and 20 weeks and without the development of neutralizing antibodies at the given dose. [...] The length of hospital stay and the cost of orthotics and mobility aids collectively accounted for 88% of the cost of treating patients in both groups. [...] A total of 406 patients (58 in the BTX-A group and 348 in the non-BTX-A group) were used in the analysis.