Curative effect of ultrasonic location botulinum toxin A injection for lower limbs spasticity in children with cerebral palsy

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of ultrasonic location botulinum toxin A(BTX-A)injection for lower limbs spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Methods Seventy-five children with lower limbs spasti-city resulting from cerebral palsy were divided into injection group(n=37) and control group(n=38). Ultrasonography was used to located the injection of BTX-A into the spastic muscles of the legs in injection group.Then rehabilitation training was received the day after the injection.For all patients, muscle spasticity and gross motor function measure were evaluated before treatment and in the second week, the first, third and sixth month treatment using the Modified Ashworth Scale(MAS) and the Gross Motor Function Measure(GMFM) assessment. Results In the second week, the first, third and the sixth month of treatment, the improvement of muscle spasticity and GMFM in the injection group were significantly better than before(all P<0.01). And the improvement of muscle spasticity were the greatest in the second week and the first month of the injection.The average therapeutic effect in the injection group was significantly better than that in the control group(P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the evaluation score of the third month and that of the sixth month for injection group.The BTX-A injection had time limit and could be reinject after 6 months. Conclusions The ultrasound located BTX-A injection to treat lower limbs spasticity in cerebral palsy has the advantages of accurate localization, safety, good child patient compliance and more effective than only rehabilitation treatment. Key words: Botulinum toxin; Ultrasonic location; Cerebral palsy; Lower limbs spasticity