A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society finds botulinum toxin type A to be an effective treatment for spasticity, muscle tightness that interferes with movement, in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, but poses some risk. The guideline is published in the January 26, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Spasticity in children with cerebral palsy is best treated by a multidisciplinary medical and surgical team," said lead guideline author Mauricio R. Delgado, MD, FRCPC, with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "It is important that doctors, patients and caregivers together set a goal for measuring the success of medication use or any other spasticity treatment."
Spasticity is a form of abnormally increased muscle tone and is usually associated with muscle weakness and abnormal reflexes. Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of spasticity, and spasticity affects the majority of children with cerebral palsy. More than 10,000 babies born in the United States each year will be affected by cerebral palsy, which is a complex neurologic disorder that affects body movement and posture. While cerebral palsy cannot be cured, treatment often improves a child's capabilities.