Botulinum toxin in the treatment of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy

Key words: Botulinum toxin, Neurotoxin, spasticity, Childhood cerebral palsy

Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is a powerful rehabilitative instrument used for the focal treatment of spasticity, described in the literature as efficacious and safe, also during developmental age, particularly in patients with cerebral palsy. Used in synergy with other available rehabilitative instruments (therapeutic exercise, orthosis, casting and orthopedic functional surgery) BoNT can improve these children’s motor functions, when the CNS plasticity enables wide spaces for learning and also functional modifications. The article describes “best practice” in patients as well as muscle assessment and evaluation, injection and dosage techniques, expected results and adverse events. If used in a proper manner, BoNT has a growing therapeutic importance in the rehabilitative project for the improvement of children with cerebral palsy.