Clinical and functional outcome after alcohol neurolysis of the tibial nerve for ankle-foot spasticity

AAPM&R consensus guidance on spasticity assessment and management

BACKGROUND

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) conducted a comprehensive review in 2021 to identify opportunities for enhancing the care of adult and pediatric patients with spasticity. A technical expert panel (TEP) was convened to develop consensus-based practice recommendations aimed at addressing gaps in spasticity care.

OBJECTIVE

To develop consensus-based practice recommendations to identify and address gaps in spasticity care.

METHODS

The Spasticity TEP engaged in a 16-month virtual meeting process, focusing on formulating search terms, refining research questions, and conducting a structured evidence review. Evidence quality was assessed by the AAPM&R Evidence, Quality and Performance Committee (EQPC), and a modified Delphi process was employed to achieve consensus on recommendation statements and evidence grading. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) guided the rating of individual studies and the strength of recommendations.

RESULTS

The TEP approved five recommendations for spasticity management and five best practices for assessment and management, with one recommendation unable to be graded due to evidence limitations. Best practices were defined as widely accepted components of care, while recommendations required structured evidence reviews and grading. The consensus guidance statement represents current best practices and evidence-based treatment options, intended for use by PM&R physicians caring for patients with spasticity.

CONCLUSION

This consensus guidance provides clinicians with practical recommendations for spasticity assessment and management based on the best available evidence and expert opinion. Clinical judgment should be exercised, and recommendations tailored to individual patient needs, preferences, and risk profiles. The accompanying table summarizes the best practice recommendations for spasticity assessment and management, reflecting principles with little controversy in care delivery.

Safety and effectiveness of ethanol neurolysis with and without onabotulinumtoxinA in children with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND

OnabotulinumtoxinA is commonly used to relieve spasticity in children with neurologic disorders. Ethanol neurolysis may be used to target more muscles but is less well studied, especially in pediatrics.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the safety and effectiveness of ethanol neurolysis with onabotulinumtoxinA injections compared to only onabotulinumtoxinA injections for the treatment of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study including patients with cerebral palsy receiving onabotulinumtoxinA and/or ethanol neurolysis from June 2020 to June 2021.

SETTING

Outpatient physiatry clinic.

PATIENTS

A total of 167 children with cerebral palsy not undergoing other treatments during injection period.

INTERVENTIONS

Injection with either onabotulinumtoxinA only (112 children) or a combination of ethanol and onabotulinumtoxinA injections (55 children) using both ultrasound guidance and electrical stimulation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

A post-procedure evaluation at 2 weeks after injection documented any adverse effects experienced by the child and perceived magnitude of improvement using an ordinal scale from 1 to 5. Multiple linear regression was used to identify and control for covariates including Gross Motor Function Classification System, gender, age, weight, ethnicity, race, and dosage.

RESULTS

Only weight was identified as a confounding factor. When controlled for weight, combined onabotulinumtoxinA and ethanol injections had a greater magnitude of improvement (3.78/5) compared with onabotulinumtoxinA injections alone (3.44/5), a difference of 0.34 points on the rating scale (95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.69; p = .045). However, the difference was not clinically significant. One patient in the onabotulinumtoxinA-only group and two patients in the combined onabotulinumtoxinA and ethanol group reported mild, self-limiting adverse effects.

CONCLUSION

Ethanol neurolysis under ultrasound and electrical stimulation guidance may be a safe and effective treatment for children with cerebral palsy that allows more spastic muscles to be treated than onabotulinumtoxinA alone.

The Minimum Data Set: An Opportunity to Improve Spasticity Screening

Spasticity is a common movement disorder that arises from trauma or disease affecting the central nervous system. Untreated spasticity can result in limitations in completing activities of daily living, painful limb contractures, and other conditions associated with loss of mobility. In the long-term care setting, this treatable condition is prevalent, yet often unrecognized likely because of a lack of spasticity-trained practitioners. A recently published spasticity referral tool holds promise for addressing the underdiagnosis of spasticity in the long-term care population. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) would be an ideal mechanism for increasing the diagnosis and treatment of spasticity because it is a government-directed comprehensive screening tool that informs care plans for all residents residing in federally funded long-term care facilities. The MDS could easily integrate the published referral assessment to record the presence of spastic postures and muscle rigidity. We propose expanding the MDS to include 3 questions related to spasticity to improve the recognition and treatment of this prevalent and treatable condition.

Phenol Versus Botulinum Toxin A Injection in Ambulatory Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegia: A Comparative Study

The aim of this study is to compare the treatment effectiveness of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and phenol blocks in the management of lower limb spasticity and to measure improvement in gross motor functional outcome in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This is a hospital-based prospective, noncontrolled randomized study that took place in a tertiary care center. A total of 61 ambulatory children with CP spastic diplegia, aged from 4 to 10 years, were randomly divided into two groups and included in this study. Twenty-eight children with CP received BTX-A injections and 33 received phenol motor point blocks. The measures performed were as follows: outcome assessment spasticity by the Modified Ashworth scale (MAS), active range of motion (AROM) of lower limb joint by goniometer, and functional improvement by Gross Motor Function Measures (GMFM). Postinjection follow-up done at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. Significant improvement in reduction of spasticity, increased AROM of all joints of lower limbs, and improvement in functional outcome were observed in CP with spastic diplegia after BTX-A injections as compared with the phenol motor point block group. There was no significant side effect after BTX-A injections as compared with phenol injections. BTX-A injections showed superior treatment effects in the reduction of spasticity and improvement in AROM and functional outcome measures with spastic diplegia as compared with phenol blocks. BTX-A injections also revealed fewer clinical side effects and were well tolerated by children with CP.

Localization of nerve entry points as targets to block spasticity of the deep posterior compartment muscles of the leg

To identify the optimal body surface puncture locations and the depths of nerve entry points (NEPs) in the deep posterior compartment muscles of the leg, 60 lower limbs of thirty adult cadavers were dissected in prone position. A curved line on the skin surface joining the lateral to the medial epicondyles of the femur was taken as a horizontal reference line (H). Another curved line joining the lateral epicondyle of the femur to the lateral malleolus was designated the longitudinal reference line (L). Following dissection, the NEPs were labeled with barium sulfate and then subjected to spiral computed tomography scanning. The projection point of the NEP on the posterior skin surface of the leg was designated P, and the projection in the opposite direction across the transverse plane was designated P'. The intersections of P on H and L were identified as P_H and P_L , and their positions and the depth of the NEP on PP' were measured using the Syngo system and expressed as percentages of H, L, and PP'. The P_H points of the tibial posterior, flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus muscles were located at 38.10, 46.20, and 55.21% of H, respectively. The P_L points were located at 25.35, 41.30, and 45.39% of L, respectively. The depths of the NEPs were 49.11, 54.64, and 55.95% of PP', respectively. The accurate location of these NEPs should improve the efficacy and efficiency of chemical neurolysis for treating spasticity of the deep posterior compartment muscles of the leg. Clin. Anat. 30:855-860, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of obturator nerve block on hip lateralization in low functioning children with spastic cerebral palsy

PURPOSE

Hip adductor spasticity has a great impact on developing hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Obturator nerve (ON) block is less invasive intervention rather than soft tissue surgery for reduction of hip adductor spasticity. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ON block on hip lateralization in low functioning children with spastic CP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was performed by retrospective investigation of the clinical and radiographic follow-up data of low functioning children [gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) level III to V] with spastic cerebral palsy whose hip was subluxated. Migration percentage (MP) was measured on hip radiographs and its annual change was calculated. In intervention group, ON block was done with 50% ethyl alcohol under the guidance of electrical stimulation.

RESULTS

The data of 49 legs of 25 children for intervention group and the data of 41 legs of 23 children for nonintervention group were collected. In intervention group, the MP were significantly reduced at 1st follow-up and the MPs at 2nd and last follow-up did not show significant differences from initial MP. Whereas in nonintervention group, the MPs at 1st, 2nd and last follow-up were all significantly increased compared to initial MPs.

CONCLUSION

ON block with ethyl alcohol is useful as an early effective procedure against progressive hip displacement in these children with spastic CP.

Observational gait analysis in traumatic brain injury: accuracy of clinical judgment

OBJECTIVE

To determine the accuracy of clinicians' visual observations of gait disorders following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

30 ambulant participants (sample of convenience) receiving physiotherapy for mobility limitations following TBI and 25 age, height, weight and sex matched healthy unimpaired controls (HC) were recruited. Kinematic and ground reaction force data during gait were captured and video recordings were concurrently collected. Participants with TBI walked at self-selected speed whilst HCs walked at preferred speed as well as the mean TBI speed for comparison. 40 doctors, experienced physiotherapists, new graduate physiotherapists and novices were observers. Each viewed and rated 36 gait variables for a randomized sub-sample of 10 participants with TBI. Observer inaccuracy was calculated for each gait variable.

RESULTS

Overall the accuracy of observational gait analysis was low and there was considerable variability in observations between clinicians. For most kinematic variables, observer inaccuracy ranged from 30% to 50%. Although experienced observers were generally more accurate, average inter-item correlations were low, indicating that experience did not consistently improve the accuracy of visual observations. Observational plane, gait variable type, the joint or the segment had little effect on accuracy of observations.

CONCLUSIONS

Observational gait analysis for adults with TBI has relatively low accuracy. Some of the gait abnormalities evident from quantitative gait analysis were not detected by observational gait analysis.

Interest of peripheral anesthetic blocks as a diagnosis and prognosis tool in patients with spastic equinus foot: A clinical and electrophysiological study of the effects of block of nerve branches to the triceps surae muscle

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate clinically and electrophysiologically the effects of selective anesthetic blocks of motor nerve branches to the triceps surae muscle on lower limb stretch reflex in patients with spastic equinus foot.

METHODS

Eleven patients were assessed before and after selective anesthetic block of the superior soleus nerve or the gastrocnemius nerves, performed by lidocaine injection. The stretch reflex (SR) of the ankle with the knee flexed or extended and the Achilles tendon reflex (TR) were scored clinically. Additionally, the direct M response and the H reflex to tibial nerve stimulation were recorded on the three heads of the triceps surae muscle. The ratio of H reflex to M response of maximal amplitudes (H(max)/M(max)) was calculated.

RESULTS

The SR and TR mean scores were significantly reduced after soleus nerve block but not after gastrocnemius nerve block. Electrophysiologically, H(max) and H(max)/M(max) ratios were significantly reduced for the soleus muscle after soleus nerve block and for the lateral (but not medial) gastrocnemius muscle after gastrocnemius nerve block.

CONCLUSIONS

Soleus nerve block appeared more appropriate than gastrocnemius nerve block to relieve spasticity clinically. In addition, the decrease in H(max)/M(max) ratio suggested that lidocaine preferentially blocked proprioceptive Ia fibers rather than A-alpha motor fibers.

SIGNIFICANCE

Selective anesthetic blocks of nerve branches to the triceps surae muscle are useful in the assessment of lower limb spasticity and can benefit from H reflex investigation. H reflex recordings showed a preferential susceptibility of muscle spindle afferents to local anesthetics and supported the hypothesis of a prominent role of the soleus muscle in spastic ankle. The clinical and electrophysiological effects induced by anesthetic blocks may help to guide therapeutic interventions, such as neurotomy, neurolysis or botulinum toxin injection.

Alcohol neurolysis of tibial nerve motor branches to the gastrocnemius muscle to treat ankle spasticity in patients with hemiplegic stroke

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol neurolysis of tibial nerve motor branches to the gastrocnemius muscle for the treatment of ankle plantarflexor spasticity in patients with hemiplegic stroke.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

Inpatient and outpatient clinics in the rehabilitation department of a university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-two patients with hemiplegic stroke (mean age, 48y).

INTERVENTIONS

Motor branch block (MBB) of the tibial nerve to the gastrocnemius muscle with 50% ethyl alcohol in cases of spastic ankle.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The severity of spasticity was assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score of ankle plantarflexor, clonus score of the ankle, and the passive range of motion (PROM) of ankle dorsiflexion.

RESULTS

The MAS score was reduced in 17 (77%) of 22 patients during the 6-month follow-up, and spasticity reappeared at the level of the pre-MBB state in 5 patients (23%). The mean values of all parameters were significantly improved. The changes of mean values from the pre-MBB to the 6-month post-MBB stage were as follows: MAS score, 3.3+/-0.7 versus 1.7+/-1.1; clonus score, 1.6+/-0.7 versus 0.4+/-0.8; and PROM, 17.1 degrees +/-13.0 degrees versus 28.6 degrees +/-4.7 degrees. No serious complications were observed during the 6-month follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

MBB of the tibial nerve to the gastrocnemius muscle is an effective and safe procedure for relieving localized spasticity of the ankle plantarflexors.