The profile of patients and current practice of treatment of upper limb muscle spasticity with botulinum toxin type A: an international survey.

Abstract

To document the current practice in relation with the treatment of patients with upper limb spasticity with botulinum toxin type A to inform future research in this area. We designed an international, cross-sectional, noninterventional survey of current practice. Nine hundred and seventy-four patients from 122 investigational centres in 31 countries were studied. Most patients were over 40 years old and had a stroke. Improvement of active function was the most frequent treatment goal in the first 3 months after the onset of upper limb spasticity, but was less common than passive function in the chronic stage. Pain relief was a common goal in both the stages. As a rule, clinicians intended to assess the effectiveness of treatment with impairment level scales. Functional outcome measures seem to be rarely used in clinical practice. The use of these measures should be encouraged to assess whether the reduction in muscle tone translates into functional benefit to patients and their caregivers.

• Authors: Abdel Magid Bakheit, Benjamin Zakine, Pascal Maisonobe, Claire Aymard, Klemens Fhedoroff, Harold Hefter, Jorge Jacinto, Wolfgang H Jost, Franco Molteni, Henk Stam, Lynne Turner-Stokes, Jorg Wissel
• Journal: International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptation (Int J Rehabil Res) Vol. 33 Issue 3 Pg. 199-204 (Sep 2010) ISSN: 1473-5660 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20154631 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Neuromuscular Agents
• Botulinum Toxins, Type A
• abobotulinumtoxinA

Topics

• Activities of Daily Living
• Adult
• Botulinum Toxins, Type A (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Hemiplegia (complications, rehabilitation)
• Humans
• Male
• Muscle Spasticity (drug therapy, etiology)
• Neuromuscular Agents (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Pain (drug therapy)
• Range of Motion, Articular (drug effects)
• Stroke (complications)
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Treatment Outcome
• Upper Extremity