Background: Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) therapy for upper-limb tremor has emerged as a promising option. However, it is unclear in real-world practices whether a technology-guided approach can compare with expert clinical assessments (including surface anatomy and palpation) for improving outcomes. This retrospective study aims to review our clinical outcomes of treating essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) tremor using either clinical- or kinematic-based injection pattern determination methods.
Methods: 68 ET and 45 PD patients received at least one injection for their upper-limb tremor (unilateral or bilateral) in the last 7 years. Demographics of patients and BoNT-A injections were collected. A Mann-Whitney U statistical test was used to compare outcome measures between ET and PD cohorts.
Results: Mean age (72 ± 9 years), number of injections (5), years receiving therapy (~2 years), clinic- (~57%) or kinematic-based patterns, and self-paying (52%) were similar between both cohorts. BoNT-A as a monotherapy in both upper limbs was received in more ET than PD patients. Double reconstitution of Xeomin® in the wrist flexors/extensors, supinator, biceps, and triceps were most injected. Discontinuation due to no benefit/weakness was not dependent on the injection pattern determination approach.
Conclusions: Kinematic-based BoNT-A injections produced similar treatment outcomes to injections based on the clinical expertise of the expert injector. This suggests that kinematics could be used by a non-expert to attain equivalent efficacy potentially improving access to this treatment.
Keywords: Botulinum toxin; Parkinson’s disease; essential tremor; treatment; upper-limb tremor.