ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare walking speed in patients with spastic hemiparesis who received abobotulinumtoxinA either in the lower limb or simultaneously in both the lower and upper limbs. DESIGN: Post hoc analysis from a phase 3 study of abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®, NCT01251367). PATIENTS: Adult patients with spastic hemiparesis causing gait dysfunction. METHODS: Comfortable barefoot walking speed over 10 m was evaluated in patients receiving lower limb vs lower and upper limb injections over ≤4 treatment cycles; 1,000 U or 1,500 U in lower limb for cycle 1/2; optional upper limb injections from cycle 3 (500 U: upper limb, 1,000 U: lower limb). RESULTS: Mean (standard deviation; SD) lower limb cycle 3/4 doses were lower in the lower plus upper limb group vs lower limb only (1,000 U (SD 50), 1,000 U (SD 50) vs 1,380 U (SD 210), 1,360 U (SD 220). Baseline comfortable barefoot walking speed was similar between groups. Changes at cycle 3 week 4, in m/s, were: lower and upper limb: +0.063 (SD 0.131); lower limb only: +0.078 (SD 0.114), and cycle 4 week 4: lower and upper limb: +0.086 (SD 0.166); lower limb only: +0.086 (SD 0.123). CONCLUSION: Simultaneous lower and upper limb abobotulinumtoxinA treatment does not hamper improvement in walking speed compared with lower limb treatment alone. Thus, physicians may split the 1,500 U abobotulinumtoxinA dose as needed to best treat patients with spastic paresis.
Subject(s)
Botulinum Toxins, Type A/therapeutic use , Brain Injuries/complications , Muscle Spasticity , Paresis , Stroke/complications , Walking/physiology , Adult , Humans , Lower Extremity/physiology , Muscle Spasticity/drug therapy , Muscle Spasticity/etiology , Muscle Spasticity/physiopathology , Paresis/drug therapy , Paresis/physiopathology , Upper Extremity/physiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the effect of incobotulinumtoxinA in the acute and chronic phases of facial nerve palsy after neurosurgical interventions. METHODS: Patients received incobotulinumtoxinA injections (active treatment group) or standard rehabilitation treatment (control group). Functional efficacy was assessed using House-Brackmann, Yanagihara System and Sunnybrook Facial Grading scales, and Facial Disability Index self-assessment. RESULTS: Significant improvements on all scales were seen after 1month of incobotulinumtoxinA treatment (active treatment group, Ñ<0.05), but only after 3months of rehabilitation treatment (control group, Ñ<0.05). At 1 and 2years post-surgery, the prevalence of synkinesis was significantly higher in patients in the control group compared with those receiving incobotulinumtoxinA treatment (Ñ<0.05 and Ñ<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: IncobotulinumtoxinA treatment resulted in significant improvements in facial symmetry in patients with facial nerve injury following neurosurgical interventions. Treatment was effective for the correction of the compensatory hyperactivity of mimic muscles on the unaffected side that develops in the acute period of facial nerve palsy, and for the correction of synkinesis in the affected side that develops in the long-term period. Appropriate dosing and patient education to perform exercises to restore mimic muscle function should be considered in multimodal treatment.
