The current status and use of botulinum toxins

Botulinum toxin is now widely used in neurology for the treatment of disord ers involving muscle hyperactivity. Focal dystonia is the primary indicatio n, and the key to effective treatment of dystonia is tailoring the treatmen t to the individual's pattern of muscle involvement; even complex and gener alized dystonias are treated as a collection of focal disorders. The dyston ias known to respond to botulinum-toxin therapy include cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, laryngeal dystonia, writer's cramp and anismus. Spasticity i s another, growing, indication for the toxins. The treatment of these disor ders with botulinum toxins is reviewed here.