Therapeutic strategies to boost the effect of botulinum toxin may lead to some advantages, such as long lasting effects, the injection of lower botulinum toxin dosages, fewer side effects, and lower costs. The aim of this study is to investigate the combined effect of botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of spasticity in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Fifteen patients with spastic CP were recruited through a retrospective chart review to clarify what treatment they received. All patients received a BTA injection on gastrocnemius muscle (GCM), and patients in group 1 underwent one ESWT session for the GCM immediately after BTA injection and two consecutive ESWT sessions at weekly intervals. Ankle plantar flexor and the passive range of motion (PROM) of ankle dorsiflexion were measured by a modified Ashworth scale (MAS) before treatment and at 1 and 3 month(s) post-treatment. In group 1, the shear wave velocity (SWV) of GCM was measured. The PROM and MAS in group 1 and 2 before treatment significantly improved at 1 and 3 month(s) after treatment. The change in PROM was significantly different between the two groups at 1 and 3 month(s) after treatment. The SWV before treatment significantly decreased at 1 month and 3 months after treatment in group 1. Our study has shown that the combination of BTA injection and ESWT would be effective at controlling spasticity in children with spastic CP, with sustained improvement at 3 months after treatment.
Keywords: botulinum toxin; cerebral palsy; extracorporeal shock wave; shear wave ultrasound; spasticity.