Combining serial casting with botulinum toxin A in the treatment of spastic equinus in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Objective To compare the effect of injection with botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) before serial casting with BTX-A injection alone for the treatment of spastic equinus in children with cerebral palsy (CP).Methods Sixty patients were divided into an experimental group and a control group with 30 patients in each.Those io the experimental group received a BTX-A injection followed by serial casting,while the controls received BTX-A only.Before treatment and 1 month,3 months and 6 months after treatment,the dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM)of the ankle recorded while the knee in flexion and extension were measured,and gait was evaluated with an observational gait scale.Results Before treatment there was no significant inter-group difference in any of the 3 outcome measures.At 1 montb,3 months and 6 months after treatment,there were significant inter-group differences in all 3 measures,and also significant differences compared with before treatment in both groups.Conclusion Lower muscle tone,greater ankle mobility and better gait patterns can be promoted in CP children with spastic equinus using serial casting combined with BTX-A injection.The improvements may last longer than those after BTX-A injection alone. Key words: Serial casting; Botulinum toxin type A; Cerebral palsy; Equinus