title: Treatment of gastrointestinal sphincters spasms with botulinum toxin A.
abstract: Botulinum toxin A inhibits neuromuscular transmission. It has become a drug with many indications. The range of clinical applications has grown to encompass several neurological and non-neurological conditions. One of the most recent achievements in the field is the observation that botulinum toxin A provides benefit in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Although toxin blocks cholinergic nerve endings in the autonomic nervous system, it has also been shown that it does not block non-adrenergic non-cholinergic responses mediated by nitric oxide. This has promoted further interest in using botulinum toxin A as a treatment for overactive smooth muscles and sphincters. The introduction of this therapy has made the treatment of several clinical conditions easier, in the outpatient setting, at a lower cost and without permanent complications. This review presents current data on the use of botulinum toxin A in the treatment of pathological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. gbrisin@tin.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brisinda
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. nicola_silvestrini@libero.it.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sivestrini
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. bianco.g@live.com.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. giorgio.maria@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maria
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D013035:Spasm / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A
keywords: anus; autonomic nervous system diseases; biliary diseases; botulinum toxin; chronic constipation; enteric nervous system; esophageal achalasia; esophageal diseases; exocytosis; fissure-in-ano; gastric emptying; gastrointestinal motility; membrane fusion; membrane proteins; neuromuscular agents; obesity; pain; physiopathology; spasm; therapeutic use