Meta - Analysis Of Botulinum Toxin Type A In The Treatment Of Maxillofacial Hypertrophic Scar

Background: The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficiency of therapeutic botulinum toxin type A(BTX-A) in preventing maxillofacial and neck scars.Methods and Findings: Information came from the following electronic databases:Pub Med, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CBM and CJFD(time was ended by August, 2015)to retrieve RCTs evaluating the effect of the BTX-A for hypertrophic scar on the maxillofacial or neck. All languages were included as long as they met the inclusion criteria. Here the effects of BTX-A were evaluated by comparing the width of the scar,patient satisfaction, and the visual analysis scores(VAS), respectively. Pooled weighted mean differences(WMDs), pooled odds ratios(ORs), and 95% confidence intervals(CI)were calculated. Nine RCTs covering a total of 539 patients were included. A statistically significant difference in scar width was identified between the BTX-A group and control group(non-BTX-A used)(WMD =-0.41, 95% CI =-0.68 to-0.14, P = 0.003). A statistically significant difference in patient satisfaction was observed between the BTX-A group and control group(OR = 25.76, 95% CI = 2.58 to 256.67, P = 0.006). And in patients regarding visual analysis scores(VAS), a statistically significant difference was also observed between the BTX-A group and control group(WMD =1.30, 95% CI =1.00 to 1.60, P < 0.00001).Conclusions: This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of the BTX-A and confirms that BTX-A is a suitable potential therapy for the treatment of hypertrophic scars in patients in the maxillofacial and neck areas.