Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38958691›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2024

Noninvasive analysis of overactive muscle structure and elasticity after botulinum toxin type A injection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Marine Devis, Frédéric Lecouvet, Thierry Lejeune, Gaëtan Stoquart

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. 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

4 authors.

Marine DevisDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Neuromusculoskeletal Lab (NMSK), Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium - marine.devis@uclouvain.be.
Frédéric LecouvetDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, IMAG lab, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Thierry LejeuneDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Neuromusculoskeletal Lab (NMSK), Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Gaëtan StoquartDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Neuromusculoskeletal Lab (NMSK), Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInjections of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) are the first-line treatment for spastic muscle overactivity (MO). Some authors observed that BoNT-A injections lead to changes in muscle structure and muscle elasticity that are probably not completely reversible. This possible effect is critical, as it could lead to negative impacts on the effectiveness of BoNT-A interventions. Our study aimed to evaluate the current literature regarding changes in muscle elasticity and structure after BoNT-A injection, by diagnostic imaging, in neurological populations with MO. Our second objective was to pool all articles published on this topic in order to provide a quantitative synthesis of the data. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic search was conducted between October 2021 and April 2023 using different databases in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Two independent reviewers screened articles for inclusion, extracted data, and evaluated methodological quality of the studies. A meta-analysis was performed to compare muscle elasticity and structure before and after BoNT-A injections. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A sample of 34 studies was selected for qualitative review and 19 studies for quantitative review. Meta-analysis of pre-post studies demonstrated significant improvement with a medium effect size (standardized mean difference=0.74; 95% CI 0.46-1.02; P<0.001) of muscle elasticity assessed by ultrasound elastography (USE) 4 weeks after BoNT-A injection. No statistically significant difference was found for muscle thickness, pennation angle, and muscle echo-intensity assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and/or ultrasonography at short-term. On the other hand, normalized muscle volume decreased with a small effect size (standardized mean difference = -0.17; 95% CI -0.25 - -0.09; P<0.001) 6 months after BoNT-A injection.

conclusionsMuscle elasticity measured by USE improves with a temporary effect at short-term following BoNT-A injections. Synthesis of studies that assesses muscle structure is hindered by methodological differences between studies. However, based on a small amount of data, normalized muscle volume seems to decrease at long-term after BoNT-A injections in children with CP suggesting that the timing of re-injection should be considered with caution in this population. Further work should focus on the long-term effect of repeated injections on muscle structure and elasticity in neurological populations.

Indexed as

Botulinum Toxins, Type AElasticityMuscle SpasticityNeuromuscular AgentsHumansInjections, IntramuscularMuscle, SkeletalBotulinum Toxins, Type ANeuromuscular Agents

Identifiers

PMID38958691
PMCPMC11391396

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Registered trials

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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.