The Complex Role of Botulinum Toxin in Enhancing Goal Achievement for Post-Stroke Patients

The rehabilitation medical team is responsible for the therapeutic management of post-stroke patients and, therefore, for the complex therapeutic approach of spasticity. Considering the generous arsenal at our disposal in terms of both pharmacological treatment, through the possibility of administering botulinum toxin to combat spasticity, and in terms of accurate assessment through developed functional scales such as the GAS (Goal Attainment Scale), one of our purposes is to monitor the parameters that influence the achievement of functional goals set by patients together with the medical team in order to render the patients as close as possible to achieving their proposed functional goals, thus enhancing their quality of life. By assessing and establishing statistical and clinical correlations between the GAS and quantifiable parameters related to the affected post-stroke upper limb, namely degree of spasticity, motor control, pain level and evolution of pain under treatment with BoNT-A (abobotulinum toxin A), and patients' overall response to BoNT-A treatment, we aim to quantify the improvement of the therapeutic management of post-stroke patients with spasticity and develop a more personalized and effective approach to their disability and impairment. The analysis concluded that there were two independent predictors of the Achieved GAS-T score (the study's endpoint parameter) motor control at any level of the upper limb and number of prior BoNT-A injections. The number of prior BoNT-A injections was an independent predictor of Achieved GAS-T score improvement but had no significant influence over Baseline GAS-T score. Enhancement in proximal and intermediate motor control showed a GAS score improvement of 3.3 points and a 0.93-point GAS score improvement for wrist motor control progress. From a separate viewpoint, patients with motor deficit on the left side have shown significantly greater improvement in Changed GAS-T scores by 2.5 points compared to patients with deficits on the right side; however, we note as a study limitation the fact that there was no statistical analysis over the dominant cerebral hemisphere of each patient. Improvement in the Achieved GAS-T score means better achievement of patients' goals. Thus, after the BoNT- A intervention, at follow-up evaluation, GAS was found to be directly correlated with improvement in motor control of the affected upper limb. Mobility of the corresponding limb was enhanced by pain decrease during p-RO