title: Botulinum toxin in the treatment of writer's cramp: a double-blind study.
abstract: We treated 20 patients with writer's cramp in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Each patient received two treatments in tandem, one with botulinum-A toxin (BTX-A) injections and another with normal saline, separated by 3 months. Treatment order was randomized and unknown to the patient and physician. Patients were assessed before each treatment and 2 and 6 weeks after each treatment by objective measurements of pen control. Twelve patients had improvement in pen control after treatment with BTX-A, but only four had significant improvement in writing. BTX-A injections are effective in relieving symptoms in selected cases of writer's cramp, particularly in those with significant wrist-joint deviation.
authors.affiliation: Neurodegenerative Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Tsui
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calne
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Calne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004421:Dystonia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014956:Writing
chemical_list: D001905:Botulinum Toxins