Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:07:11.800Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The effect of botulinum toxin A on gastrocnemius length: magnitude and duration of response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 1999

Niall W A Eames
Affiliation:
The Gait Analysis Laboratory, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, N Ireland.
Richard Baker
Affiliation:
The Gait Analysis Laboratory, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, N Ireland.
Nan Hill
Affiliation:
The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast, N Ireland.
Kerr Graham
Affiliation:
The Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Trevor Taylor
Affiliation:
Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, N Ireland.
Aidan Cosgrove
Affiliation:
Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, N Ireland.
Get access

Abstract

Thirty-nine ambulant children (22 with hemiplegia, 17 with diplegia) with spastic cerebral palsy receiving isolated gastrocnemius muscle injection with botulinum toxin A were studied prospectively. The children had a mean age of 6 years (range 3 to 13 years). Measurement of gastrocnemius muscle length was used to estimate the dynamic component of each child's spasticity and to quantify the response. There was a strong correlation between the dynamic component of spasticity before injection and the corresponding magnitude of the response after injection. Children undergoing repeated injections showed similar correlations. A strong correlation was found between the duration of response and the dynamic component. Children with hemiplegia showed twice the duration for a given dynamic component compared with those with diplegia when injected with the same total dose per unit body weight. Long-term lengthening did not occur for the cohort, although some patients showed a response at a 12-month follow-up. By delaying shortening, the injections may have a role in delaying the need for surgery. Injections were well tolerated with few side effects.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
© 1999 Mac Keith Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)