Focal Dystonia: Current Diagnostic Approach and Use of Botulinum Toxin Treatment
Focal dystonia (FD) is one of the most common types of movement disorders. Its prevalence is about 30-60 per 100,000 with age at onset usually after 40 years. Progressive nature of FD leads to disability of patients with FD; the latter makes this movement disorder a challenging issue for modern clinical neurology. Current classification of FD along with its genetics, clinical features, and principles of diagnosing are reviewed. The main therapeutic approaches to FD are discussed emphasizing chemical denervation of the involved muscles with botulinum toxin type A as a treatment of choice. Recommendations on treatment of certain forms of FD with botulinum toxin type A are presented based on the results of randomized clinical trials and on principles of evidence based medicine.