ABSTRACT
Although dyskinesia is a frequent and important problem in Parkinson's disease (PD), a reliable assessment measure has not been thoroughly developed and tested. We modified the Obeso dyskinesia scale to create an objective rating scale for dyskinesia assessment during activities of daily living. Thirteen physicians and 15 study coordinators involved in a clinical trial independently reviewed videotape segments of PD patients performing three tasks: walking, putting on a coat, and lifting a cup to the lips for drinking. Raters evaluated the severity of worst dyskinesia seen, the types of all dyskinesias seen, and the type of dyskinesia most associated with motoric disability. For all assessments, the total group showed statistically significant inter- and intrarater reliability. Physicians had a higher consistency than did coordinators, but for most measures the difference was not statistically significant. Physicians and coordinators found the scale easy to use and especially practical for rating dyskinesia severity and for identifying the most disabling dyskinesia. Dyskinesias can be assessed in clinical trials and warrant regular documentation.
Subject(s)
Movement Disorders/diagnosis , Neurologic Examination/statistics & numerical data , Parkinson Disease/diagnosis , Activities of Daily Living/classification , Antiparkinson Agents/therapeutic use , Disability Evaluation , Dopamine Agents/therapeutic use , Humans , Movement Disorders/classification , Movement Disorders/drug therapy , Neurologic Examination/drug effects , Observer Variation , Parkinson Disease/classification , Parkinson Disease/drug therapy , Reproducibility of Results , Videotape RecordingSubject(s)
Botulinum Toxins/therapeutic use , Dystonia/drug therapy , Facial Paralysis/drug therapy , Botulinum Toxins/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Injections, Intramuscular , Jaw , Male , Middle Aged , Mouth , Occupational Diseases , Pain , Torticollis/drug therapy , Torticollis/physiopathology , Voice Disorders/drug therapy , WritingABSTRACT
Medical treatment of dystonia usually results in an incomplete response and is frequently unsuccessful. Peripheral surgical therapy is available for some focal dystonias, but may only offer temporary relief and may have unacceptable complications. We have used local injections of botulinum toxin into the appropriate muscles for treatment of disabling focal or segmental dystonia in 93 patients with torticollis, blepharospasm, oromandibular dystonia (OMD), limb dystonia, lingual dystonia, and dystonia adductor dysphonia, in addition to four patients with hemifacial spasm. Significant relief of motor symptoms was seen in 69% of the patients with blepharospasm and 64% of patients with torticollis; 74% of the latter group with pain experience relief. Relief of symptoms was noted in most patients with OMD and limb dystonia, and all with lingual dystonia, dystonic adductor spastic dysphonia, and those with hemifacial spasm. Benefit averaged 2 1/2-3 months initially; however some patients experienced longer relief with subsequent injections. Adverse effects were transient, although 2 patients developed antibodies against the toxin, and we documented evidence for distant effects in others. This approach of chemically weakening contracting muscles in focal dystonia offers many advantages over pharmacotherapy and surgical therapy. Additional experience is needed to explore the proper doses, and potential for long term adverse effects.
