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Botulinum toxin relieved ophthalmoplegia symptoms
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Botulinum toxin relieved symptoms of internuclear ophthalmoplegia, a debilitating ocular motility condition, in a long-term study.
Ramesh Moorthy, FRCS, and colleagues at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, conducted a retrospective chart review of 16 patients with internuclear ophthalmoplegia resulting from brainstem hemorrhage and multiple sclerosis. Patients were treated at the hospital over a 20-year period. All patients received an injection or a series of injections of botulinum toxin in one or more extraocular muscles to treat symptoms of internuclear ophthalmoplegia.
The results were described in a poster presentation here at the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
At follow-up checks a “significant benefit” of treatment was seen, with reduced diplopia and improved binocular function, the study authors said. Diplopia was reduced in 87.5% of patients; 56.3% of patients had improved cosmesis, and 25% of patients experienced an improvement in head posture. Eighteen percent of patients experienced improved convergence, and 12.5% of patients acquired better stereopsis.
Complications included ptosis, overcorrection and vertical diplopia. After therapy, 31.3% of patients chose to continue the botulinum toxin regimen, 18.8% of patients remained stable and maintained their results, and the other patients were managed with occlusion therapy, prisms or surgery.