A Preliminary Report of the Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A in Infants with Clubfoot: Four Case Studies:

A glimpse into Texas Scottish Rite Hospital's educational, clinical care, and research development

This article describes four areas of pediatric orthopaedic education, research, and clinical care undertaken at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital (TSRH) over the past 25 years. These areas include the weekly preoperative conferences, the evolution of the limb lengthening and deformity correction program, the development of the TSRH instrumentation system, and the evolution of the clubfoot treatment program.

Effects of early spasticity treatment on children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: a preliminary study

OBJECTIVE

To compare motor and functional performance of two groups of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP). Only the study group (SG) received early treatment of spasticity with botulinum neurotoxin type A (BXT-A).

METHODS

Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), functional performance (Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory - PEDI), range of movement, gait pattern (Physician Rating Scale - PRS) and the speed of hand movements were considered.

RESULTS

The SG, composed of 11 HCP (45.64±6.3 months), was assessed in relation to the comparison group, composed of 13 HCP (45.92±6.4 months). SG showed higher scores in four of the five GMFM dimensions, which included scores that were statistically significant for dimension B, and higher scores in five of the six areas evaluated in the PEDI. Active wrist extension, the speed of hand movements and PRS score were higher in the SG.

CONCLUSION

Children who received early BXT-A treatment for spasticity showed higher scores in motor and functional performance.

Management of idiopathic clubfoot by the Ponseti technique: our experience at a tertiary referral centre

BACKGROUND

Clubfoot or congenital talipes equinovarus is a common congenital abnormality of uncertain etiology. The purpose of this study was to assess the results of the Ponseti method in India and to investigate the demography of relapse and resistant cases.

METHODS

A total of 86 children (146 feet) below 1 year of age who had presented to the paediatric orthopedic outpatient department of our institution between June 2003 and January 2007 with unilateral or bilateral idiopathic clubfoot deformity were included in our study and treated conservatively by use of the Ponseti technique.

RESULTS

128 feet responded to the Ponseti casting technique initially and 18 feet were resistant to the conservative treatment. Of the responsive feet, for 20 feet there was a relapse of the deformity. Evaluation of the results showed that poor compliance with splintage was the most common cause of relapse; delayed presentation and atypical clubfeet resulted in high resistance to this technique. Correction achieved at our centre was 82.18%. This is less than in many recent studies and could be attributed to increased incidence of delayed presentation, poorer compliance, and atypical feet in our population.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the Ponseti technique is recommended for management of clubfoot and strict compliance with splintage is essential to prevent relapses. People of lower socioeconomic status are at high risk of relapse and must be targeted to create awareness among them about the importance of compliance with splintage.

The use of botulinum type A toxin in the treatment of idiopathic clubfoot: 5-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

Continued monitoring and reporting of outcomes in clubfoot patients are important for providing an indicator of functional outcomes and surveillance and treatment for problems or recurrences. The purpose of this study is to report the 5-year outcomes of the updated cohort of 44 patients with 65 idiopathic clubfeet treated with manipulation, casting, and Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A).

METHODS

As part of the original study, the patients underwent the corrective treatment phase of manipulation and casting followed with BTX-A injection and then the maintenance phase of bracing. The patients were seen at regular intervals and a detailed clinical history was maintained for each patient including ankle range of motion, recurrences, and interventions for recurrences.

RESULTS

Mean values for range of motion at the 5-year visit were 22.3 and 17.1 degrees for dorsiflexion with the knee in flexion and extension, respectively. Overall, 48% (31 of 65 clubfeet) successfully responded to a single BTX-A injection and experienced no recurrence over the follow-up period. At least 1 repeat BTX-A injection was required in 34 clubfeet, for an overall recurrence rate of 52%. Surgery was required in 10 clubfeet, and the overall surgical rate was 15.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

Idiopathic clubfeet treated with BTX-A continued to show good outcomes at 2 to 5-year follow-up. The experience with this cohort provides support for the effectiveness of BTX-A in the initial correction and continued management of idiopathic clubfoot.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Levels III to IV. This is a prospective, nonexperimental clinical study investigating efficacy of an innovative treatment.

[Botulinum toxin type A in children: evaluation of indications with a review of the literature]

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to review the literature to indications of botulinum toxin type A in children.

METHOD

We review the international literature from 1990 to 2002 by querying the Pubmed database with the keywords "children" and "botulinum toxin".

RESULTS

Two hundred and forty-eight articles are retrieved. We selected the most relevant 64 articles among them. Several questions remain pending: which optimal dose, which periodicity for injections, which optimal age to prolong efficiency? The main criteria to estimate efficiency is functional ability improvement. No significant side effects are noted. The main use of botulinum toxin is the management of the spastic lower limb in cerebral palsy.

DISCUSSION

This review of the literature makes it possible to specify the interests and the operational limits of botulinum toxin in the child. Its effectiveness with the upper limb is not proven. The other indications remain to be studied in a more precise way.

CONCLUSION

This review shows many studies give the indications of botulinum toxin in children. The main indication is the lower limb spaticity in cerebral palsy. New prospective and double-blind studies should be performed with larger samples.