Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25582713›Full record

SynthesisSpinal cord2015

Chemodenervation for treatment of limb spasticity following spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

J Lui, M Sarai, P B Mills

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Spinal cord, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. The use of botulinum toxin for spasticity in people with spinal cord injury: a scoping review.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Observational
  13. From Pathogenesis to Novel Therapeutics for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3: Evading Potholes on the Way to Translation.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2019
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

J LuiInternational Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
M SaraiInternational Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
P B Mills1] International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [2] Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [3] GF Strong Rehabilitation Center, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [4] Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
University of British Columbia · CAInternational Collaboration On Repair Discoveries · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designSystematic review.

objectivesTo systematically review the literature on chemodenervation with botulinum toxin (BoNT) or phenol/alcohol for treatment of limb spasticity following spinal cord injury (SCI).

settingBritish Columbia, Canada.

methodsEMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for English language studies published up until March 2014. Studies were assessed for eligibility and quality by two independent reviewers.

resultsNo controlled trials were identified. A total of 19 studies were included: 9 involving BoNT and 10 involving phenol/alcohol. Owing to the clinically diverse nature of the studies, meta-analysis was deemed inappropriate. The studies produced level 4 and level 5 evidence that chemodenervation with BoNT or alcohol/phenol can lead to improvement in outcome measurements classified in the body structure and function, as well as activity domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) was the most commonly used outcome measure. All six studies on BoNT and three of the four studies on phenol/alcohol measuring MAS reported a decrease in at least one point. An improvement in MAS was not always associated with improvement in function. The effect of phenol/alcohol has the potential to last beyond 6 months; study follow-up did not occur beyond this time point.

conclusionChemodenervation with BoNT or phenol/alcohol may improve spasticity and function in individuals with SCI. However, there is a lack of high-quality evidence and further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of these interventions.

Indexed as

Nerve BlockAnestheticsBotulinum Toxins, Type AClinical Studies as TopicEthanolHumansMuscle SpasticityPhenolSpinal Cord InjuriesAnestheticsBotulinum Toxins, Type AEthanolPhenol

Identifiers

PMID25582713
OpenAlexW2010075798

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.