Long-term follow-up of ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin-A injections for sialorrhea in neurological dysphagia

Abstract

Literature provides reports only of a limited follow-up single injection of botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) in patients with sialorrhea. The aim of our study is to evaluate the long-lasting efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided BoNT-A injections for severe sialorrhea secondary to neurological dysphagia. We enrolled 38 severe adult sialorrhea patients referred consecutively to the neurology unit and performed bilateral parotid and submandibular gland BoNT-A injections under ultrasound guidance. The outcomes of the study were reduction of sialorrhea, duration of therapeutic effect, and subjective patient- and caregiver-reported satisfaction. A total of 113 BoNT-A administrations were given during the study period with a mean duration of follow-up of 20.2 ± 4.4 months. We observed a significant decrease from baseline in mean number of daily aspirations and a significant improvement in patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes following ultrasound-guided BoNT-A injections (p < 0.001 vs baseline for all comparisons) and the mean duration of the efficacy was 5.6 ± 1 months. No major treatment-related adverse events occurred and a low incidence of minor adverse events was reported. This study confirms the long-lasting efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided BoNT-A injections for sialorrhea, regardless of the causative neurological disorder. These results should encourage the use of BoNT-A in the treatment of severe sialorrhea and highlight the role of ultrasound guidance to obtain optimal results in terms of safety and reproducible outcomes.

Keywords: Botulinum toxin; Drooling; Dysphagia; Neurological diseases; Sialorrhea; Ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin-A injections.