Long-term effects of repeated botulinum neurotoxin A, bimanual training, and splinting in young children with cerebral palsy.

<bold>Aim: </bold>To investigate long-term development of hand function after repeated botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) and occupational therapy at a young age.<bold>Method: </bold>Twenty children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) (14 males, six females; median inclusion age 3y 1mo, range 1y 11mo-4y 3mo) participated in this longitudinal study. Ten children received occupational therapy after a randomized controlled trial and 10 repeated BoNT-A plus occupational therapy during 1-year. The Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) and active supination, assessed the following 3 years. The assessments were compared with data from a reference group to investigate development over time.<bold>Results: </bold>The improvement in AHA (7.5 AHA units) after BoNT-A plus occupational therapy was maintained at final follow-up. The occupational therapy group, unchanged after 1-year, improved by 5 AHA units (96% confidence interval [CI] 2-10), thus there was no difference between the groups. Median active supination increased in comparison with the reference group. In the BoNT-A/occupational therapy group, 9 out of 10 (97.85% CI 45 115) children improved in active supination. In the occupational therapy group, 7 out of 10 (97.85% CI -2 to 68) children improved in active supination. No correlation between active supination and AHA was found.<bold>Interpretation: </bold>Bimanual performance achieved after BoNT-A plus occupational therapy was maintained, while it increased by follow-up in the occupational therapy group, suggesting that combined intervention gave earlier access to bimanual skills. Active supination was unrelated to AHA.<bold>What This Paper Adds: </bold>Children whose bimanual performance improved after botulinum neurotoxin A and/or occupational therapy, maintained skills or progressed during follow-up. Bimanual performance increased with age, similar to a quality-register reference group. Increased active supination after intervention improved at follow-up but was not related to bimanual performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]