title: Treatment for dystonia in childhood.
abstract: Management of childhood dystonia differs in certain respects from that of adult dystonia: (i) childhood dystonia is more often secondary than primary; (ii) mixed motor disorders are frequent; (iii) in children, the course of dystonia may be influenced by ongoing brain maturation and by the remarkable plasticity of the young brain; (iv) drug tolerability and effectiveness can be different in children; (v) the therapeutic strategy must be discussed with both the patient and his or her parents; and (vi) the child's education must be taken into account. Based on a systematic review of the literature through June 2011 and on our personal experience, we propose a therapeutic approach to childhood dystonia. After a detailed clinical evaluation and a comprehensive work-up to rule out a treatable cause of dystonia, symptomatic treatment may include various drugs, local botulinum toxin injections, and deep brain stimulation, in addition to rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Commission mouvements anormaux de lSociété Française de Neurologie Pédiatrique, Montpellier, France. a-roubertie@chu-montpellier.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roubertie
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Alvarez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doummar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roze
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004421:Dystonia / Q000628:therapy*; D020821:Dystonic Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans