Use of botulinum toxin in the management of dystonia in Parkinson's disease

Front Neurosci. 2024 Apr 8:18:1371601. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1371601. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Botulinum toxin is one of the most potent neurotoxins, but when injected into an overactive muscle, it can transiently alleviate an involuntary movement, such as dystonia. The primary aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the various forms of dystonia observed in patients with Parkinson's disease who can benefit from a therapeutic trial of botulinum toxin. Although most of these indications are not supported by randomized controlled clinical trials and, therefore, not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, there are many open-label trials supporting a large body of empirical experience testifying to the benefits of botulinum toxin treatment in these conditions.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; blepharospasm; botulinum toxin; cervical dystonia; dystonia.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors received funding to publish this article from Merz Therapeutics GmbH.