Botox for CP kids: help or harm? new study investigates muscle changes
NCT ID NCT06991725
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how botulinum toxin (Botox) injections change muscle structure in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Using advanced imaging like MRI and 3D ultrasound, researchers will measure muscle size, fat content, and stiffness in 51 children. The goal is to understand the balance between clinical benefits and potential muscle damage, helping guide future treatment decisions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Botulinum neurotoxin (Botox)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors better understand the trade-offs of using Botox in children with cerebral palsy, potentially leading to safer treatment guidelines.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial, so it won't directly test a new therapy. Results may not change current practice immediately.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 51 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Children with spastic cerebral palsy, who have routine follow-up care at the CP reference center of the University Hospitals Leuven. Typically developing children are recruited through the social (family and friends) and professional (colleagues) network of involved researchers and thesis students, who approach participants through flyers, social media.
- Ages
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2 to 16 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
\- Children with spastic cerebral palsy Inclusion criteria: * Children (boys/girls) with congenital brain lesion, confirmed with neuro-imaging such as MRI * At high-risk for CP or diagnosed spastic type of CP * (Suspected) Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) Level I-III * Uni or bilateral involvement * Aged between 2-16 years Exclusion criteria: * Presence of dyskinesia or ataxia * Severe co-morbidities (cognitive problems) * BTX treatment in the gastrocnemius in the past 10 months * Previous surgery at the investigated muscles. * Previous orthopedic or neurosurgery * Severe ankle deformities * Weight for height values \>2SD or \<-2SD from mean * Typically developing children Inclusion criteria: • Aged between 2-16 years Exclusion criteria: * History of neurological, orthopedic or muscular problems * Involvement in an elite or high-performance sporting program (Children performing the same sports for \> 5 hours/week will be excluded)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UZ Leuven
RECRUITINGLeuven, Vlaams-Brabant, 3000, Belgium
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a simple test reveal hidden breathing imbalances in kids with cerebral palsy?
- Brain zaps and hand drills: new hope for kids with cerebral palsy?
- Gentle touch may ease drooling and eating struggles in kids with cerebral palsy
- Gentle zaps may ease stiff muscles in kids with cerebral palsy
- Which hand therapy works best for kids with CP?
- New exercise method aims to help kids with cerebral palsy sit and stand better