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Effectiveness of botulinum toxin administered to abolish acquired nystagmus
Author(s) -
Leigh R. John,
Tomsak Robert L,
Grant Michael P.,
Remler Bernd F.,
Yaniglos Stacy S.,
Lystad Lisa,
Dell'Osso Louis F.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410320506
Subject(s) - botulinum toxin , medicine , nystagmus , audiology , anesthesia
We injected botulinum toxin into the horizontal rectus muscles of the right eyes of 2 patients who had acquired pendular nystagmus with horizontal, vertical, and torsional components. This treatment successfully abolished the horizontal component of the nystagmus in the injected eye in both patients for approximately 2 months. Both patients showed a small but measurable improvement of vision in the injected eye that may have been limited by coexistent disease of the visual pathways. The vertical and torsional components of the nystagmus persisted in both patients. In 1 patient, the horizontal component of nystagmus in the noninjected eye increased; we ascribe this finding to plastic‐adaptive changes in response to paresis caused by the botulinum toxin. Such plastic‐adaptive changes and direct side effects of the injections—such as diplopia and ptosis—may limit the effectiveness of botulinum toxin in the treatment of acquired nystagmus. Neither patient elected to repeat the botulinum treatment.