Functional improvement in cerebral palsy patients treated with botulinum toxin A injections - preliminary results

Authors report the preliminary results of an open-label, prospective study to evaluate a functional benefit of botulinum toxin type A injections in diparetic cerebral palsy patients, using gross motor function measure (GMFM) score. In a group of 14 children (mean age 3.9 years, range 2-6) treated with Dysport 30 IU/kg, a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) was noticed in both simple measurements (Modified Ashworth Scale, Selective Motor Control, Passive Range of Movements, Physician Rating Scale and parental Clinical Global Impression) and complex functions (GMFM dimensions D and E) after 1 and 3 months. However, the simple measurement scores decreased (but not to the baseline) after 3 months; surprisingly, GMFM scores were still increasing (7.7% change after 3 months and 11.3% change after 6 months in nine patients). These results are in concordance with a few other data published to date. The study may support the concept of persistent functional gain in long-term treatment of spasticity caused by cerebral palsy with botulinum toxin type A.