Quantitative assessment of muscle stiffness with acoustic radiation force impulse elastography after botulinum toxin A injection in children with cerebral palsy

• Published in: Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) 2018, Vol.45 (1), p.137-141
• Main Authors: Ceyhan Bilgici, Meltem, Bekci, Tumay, Ulus, Yasemin, Bilgici, Ayhan, Tomak, Leman, Selcuk, Mustafa Bekir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic properties; Acoustics; Botulinum toxin; Cerebral palsied children; Cerebral palsy; Children's furniture; Clinical medicine; Correlation coefficients; Imaging; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Medicine, Experimental; Muscles; Original Article; Physical therapists; Physical therapy; Radiation; Radiology; Sound waves; Spasticity; Stiffness; Therapeutics, Physiological; Toxins; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasound; Wave propagation; Wave velocity
• ISSN: 1346-4523; 1613-2254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10396-017-0780-y

Purpose Our objective in this study was to assess the changes in medial gastrocnemius muscle (GCM) stiffness after botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection in children with cerebral palsy (CP) by using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and to research the usability of this technique in clinical practice. Materials and methods Twenty-four spastic lower extremities of 12 children with CP were assessed. BTA injection treatment was applied to the medial GCM. Muscle stiffness was measured with the ARFI technique before the procedure and a month after the procedure. The patients were assessed with the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) in the physiotherapy department at about the same time. Shear wave velocity (SWV) values and MAS scores before and after the treatment were compared. Results Mean SWV values were measured as 3.20 ± 0.14 m/s before BTA and as 2.45 ± 0.21 m/s after BTA, and the difference between them was found to be statistically significant ( p