"DOES MYOBLOC™ IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL HAND USE IN YOUNG CHILDREN WITH A HYPERTONIC UPPER EXTREMITY?"

Summary

In children with cerebral palsy, stiffness of the arm can develop early and delay or prevent the acquisition of normal hand skills. Improvement in functional use of the hand may therefore be dependent upon early treatment of upper extremity hypertonia. We propose to test a series of injections of Myobloc™ in a non-randomized one-way crossover pilot clinical trial and dose-finding study, with clinical assessments and blinded video evaluations. Ten children age 2-17 years with increased tone at the elbow or wrist will be expected to complete the study. A 1-month baseline evaluation period will be followed by an injection of low-dose Myobloc™ to affected muscle(s) of the arm according to standardized per-kilogram dosing with a maximum of 25U/kg in each affected arm. Three months later, a second injection of up to 50U/kg will be performed in each affected arm. Three months after the second dose, a third dose of up to 100U/kg will be performed in each affected arm. Neurological assessments will be performed at study entry, prior to each injection, and at 1 and 3 months following each injection. Routine physical therapy and non-study medications will be continued during the study.

Timeline

Start

2002-01

Primary completion

—

Completion

2005-05

Drugs

Indications