Botulinum toxin A for treatment of sialorrhea in children: an effective, minimally invasive approach.

OBJECTIVES

To report (1) our experience with botulinum toxin A injections into the salivary glands of pediatric patients with sialorrhea, (2) the clinical outcomes of these interventions, and (3) the associated complication rates.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Urban pediatric hospital and pediatric rehabilitation center.

PATIENTS

Forty-five neurologically impaired children.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients received botulinum toxin A intrasalivary injections between January 2004 and May 2008 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All patients received sedation or general anesthesia for their botulinum toxin A injections, which were performed using ultrasonographic guidance.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Posttreatment assessments included the duration of effect, patient complications, saliva consistency, caregiver willingness to repeat the treatment, caregiver satisfaction with the treatment, and caregiver overall assessment of the child's posttreatment quality of life.

RESULTS

Forty-five subjects received a total of 91 botulinum toxin A treatments. The mean (SD) duration of effect was 4.6 (5.2) months. Duration of effect (log transformed) was significantly negatively associated with saliva quantity (P = .02), and there was a positive association with both increasing age and female sex, although neither reached statistical significance (P = .08 for each). Seven of the 24 documented complications were major, according to the Society of Interventional Radiology Classification System for Complications by Outcome scale. Thirty-six of the caregivers reported that this treatment improved the child's quality of life (80%).

CONCLUSION

Ultrasonographically guided botulinum toxin A injections into the salivary glands are safe and efficacious in the management of sialorrhea in children with neurologic disorders.