[Systematic review of the treatment of spasticity in acquired adult brain damage].

Spasticity is a motor disorder characterised by an increase in muscle tone that appears as a consequence of a central nervous system disorder, leading to deficit and disability and impairing quality of life. In acquired adult brain damage, spasticity is a severe and frequent problem, appearing in 20-30% of patients with stroke and in 13-20% of patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury. The main objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the treatments used in spasticity in adult patients with acquired brain damage secondary to stroke and head trauma. A systematic search of randomised controlled trials, published between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2017 in English and Spanish, was carried out in the PubMed, Cochrane plus Library and Ovid databases. We finally selected 17 studies, with methodological quality that was at least acceptable according to the Jadad scale. The most frequently investigated treatments are botulinum toxin, especially serotype A, together with rehabilitative measures. Clinical scales are the most frequently used to assess spasticity.