Article

To document the current practice in relation with the treatment of patients with
upper limb spasticity with botulinum toxin type A to inform future research in
this area. We designed an international, cross-sectional, noninterventional
survey of current practice. Nine hundred and seventy-four patients from 122
investigational centres in 31 countries were studied. Most patients were over 40
years old and had a stroke. Improvement of active function was the most frequent
treatment goal in the first 3 months after the onset of upper limb spasticity,
but was less common than passive function in the chronic stage. Pain relief was a
common goal in both the stages. As a rule, clinicians intended to assess the
effectiveness of treatment with impairment level scales. Functional outcome
measures seem to be rarely used in clinical practice. The use of these measures
should be encouraged to assess whether the reduction in muscle tone translates
into functional benefit to patients and their caregivers.

Langue : ANGLAIS