Botulinum toxin as adjuvant therapy for hypertonic dysfunction in a neuro-rehabilitation cohort
Abstract Purpose: Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, in recent decades, BTX has become an important adjunct treatment to neurological or rehabilitative strategies.We aimed to describe the clinical aspects of patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital who were treated with BTX for spasticity and dystonia. Methods: This was a historical cohort; data was collected from the electronic charts of all outpatients treated with BTX between 2014 and 2016 in the spasticity and movement disorders service of a quaternary, open access, rehabilitation hospital. The inclusion criteria were limb spasticity due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), and stroke; limb tremor; cervical dystonia; and generalized limb dystonia from any cause in addition to pain that limits rehabilitation. We used relatively lower doses than those generally published in the literature. Therapeutic response was determined by the Goal attainment scale (GAS), pain (graded by visual analogue scale ), independence for daily living activities, target joint range of motion (pre- and post-application), and gait analysis (only for walkers patients). Results: A total of 63 patients were enrolled in this study with a mean follow-up of 2 years. There was significant improvement in joint restriction ) with 66.7% of patients reporting improvement in the GAS scale, best improvement occurred with ortheses and limb adjustments. Conclusions: Most patients have improved functionality on the GAS scale after treatment with BTX, which is used as an adjunct therapy in subjects already in rehabilitation programs. The main rehabilitation objectives with the GAS scale were achieved in most patients.