Pain and Muscles Properties Modifications After Botulinum Toxin Type A (BTX-A) and Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave (rESWT) Combined Treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Spasticity (most common disability in upper motor neuron syndrome or UMNS) caused an inability of patients' to perform daily activities and a decrease inquality of life. One of the promising methods nowadays, but still not widely used in everyday practice, for spasticity reduction is extracorporeal shock wave. The aim of this study was to evaluate the objective clinical effects of combined treatment botulinum toxin type A and radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in spasticity post stroke. METHODS: We considered 30 subjects (14 female and 16 male) with post stroke spasticity of Biceps Brachii, Superficial Flexor Digitorum, Gastrocnemius Medialis and Lateralis and we divided patients into two groups (group A received botulinum toxin injection and physiotherapy while group B received botulinum toxin injection, rESWT and physiotherapy). Assessments were performed before treatment (t0), after 1 (t1), 2 (t2) e 3 (t3) months using Modified Ahworth Scale, Visual Analogical Scale for pain and MyotonPro® device (to assessed myometric evaluation of muscles tone and stiffness). RESULTS: Visual Analogical Scale, Modified Ahworth Scale, muscles tone and stiffness statistically decreased until t3 in the group A and in the group B, but the differences between the two groups were significant at the t1 only. CONCLUSION: Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy could be an effective physical treatment aimed at the reduction of upper and lower limbs spasticity and could lead to the improvement of trophic conditions of the spastic muscles in post-stroke.

Efficacy and Non Invasive Treatment of Sialorrhea in the Goldenhar Syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Goldenhar syndrome (ocular-auricular-vertebral syndrome), a rare congenital condition arising from defects in the first and second brachial arches, consists in clinical variety of features ranging from facial abnormalities, ear-eye abnormalities, vertebral defects and congenital heart problems and severe obstructive sleep apnea. Due to craniofacial abnormalities, patients presents mechanical obstructive phenomena and sialorrhea that cause prone position, language's fastening, use of nasopharyngeal cannulas and tracheal intubation. METHODS: In this article, we report a case of a 16 years old child affected by Goldenhar syndrome and sialorrhea to demonstrate improvement of the daily patient management, through inoculations of botulinum toxin type A. Due to severe sialorrhea which caused tracheobronchial daily aspirations, the caregivers used an external aspirators. RESULTS: In the first infiltration (August 2016) the parotid and submandibular glands bilaterally were inoculated with incobotulinum toxin type A (Xeomin®, Merz Pharma) with dosages of 5 UI for each of them, for a total of 20 UI without clinical efficacy (no quantitative and qualitative saliva reducing during 3 months). In the second (November 2016) and third (February 2017) infiltrations each parotid and each submandibular glands were injected with a (dosage of 7 UI and 5 UI respectively (total of 24 UI of incobotulinumtoxin A) with important clinical results (saliva production and tracheo-bronchial aspirations reduced). CONCLUSION: Therefore, botulinum toxin type A could be a good and non invasive treatment of sialorrhea in Goldenhar syndrome to improve oral hygiene and daily patient management.

Analysis of the Clinical Effect of Botulinumtoxin Type A(Botox-A)Combined with Electromyographic Biofeedback Therapy on the Upper Limb Muscle Spasm after Stroke / 现代生物医学进展

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of botulinumtoxin type A (Botox-A) combined with electromyographic biofeedback therapy on the upper limb muscle spasm after stroke.Methods:86 cases of patients with upper limb muscle spasm after stroke in our hospital from January 2016 to January 2017 were selected and divided into the observation group and the control group,with 43 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were treated with electromyographic biofeedback therapy,and the observation group was treated with Botox-A based on the basis of control group.The improvement of upper limb muscle spasm,Upper limb movement function,the active range of wrist joint and life skills before and after treatment were compared between two groups.Results:After treatment,the total effective rate of improvement of upper limb muscle spasm of observation group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P＜0.05);At 2 weeks and 4 weeks after treatment,the Fugl-Meyer scores,Wrist joint activities,modified Barthel index (MBI) of two groups were significantly higher than those before treatment (P＜0.05),which were significantly higher in the observation group than those of the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Botox-Acombined with electromyographic biofeedback therapy had remarkable clinical effect on the upper limb muscle spasm after stroke,which could effectively reduce the upper limb spasticity,improve the arm and wrist movement ability and the ability of daily life.