Low dose botulinum toxin in spasmodic torticollis. |
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| Authors: | D F D''''Costa and R J Abbott |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Neurology, Leicester Royal Infirmary. |
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| Abstract: | Botulinum toxin has been successfully used to treat spasmodic torticollis. The optimum dosage is not clear and the recommended doses in the United Kingdom are 20-25 ng. We have used much lower doses (average 13 ng) without loss of efficacy and accompanied by a reduction in side effects. We treated 12 patients (eight women and four men) with a mean duration of torticollis of 4 years. Eleven of the 12 patients (91%) showed an improvement in total scores for pain and degree of head movement. The benefits appeared a week after treatment and lasted for 3 months. Side effects were minimal and transient. Our experience suggests low doses of the toxin may be equally efficacious. |
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