title: The Experience of Treating Drooling with Repeated Botulinum Toxin Injections.
abstract: Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections to the salivary glands are effective in the treatment of drooling, and complications are rare. However, there are only a few previous reports on the long-term use of BTX-A injections. This study retrospectively analyzes our experience of treating drooling with repeated BTX-A injections in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. All patients who received repeated BTX-A injections to the submandibular glands at Tampere University Hospital in 2004-2013 were included in the analysis. Six patients, aged from 6 to 21 years, were included in the study, and a total of 41 bilateral BTX-A injections were administered to their submandibular glands. The average number of injections per patient was 6 (range: 3-11). The average interval between the injections was 9.8 months (range: 4-18), and 95% (39/41) of the injections were performed with good response. The complication rate of the BTX-A injections was 2.4% (1/41), since one of the patients had swallowing problems after an injection. BTX-A injections to the submandibular glands are effective and have a low morbidity rate, and repeated injections can be recommended as long-term treatment of drooling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Saara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sillanpää
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.forename: Jura
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Numminen
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rautiainen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013363:Submandibular Gland; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A