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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Ultrasound-guided Botulinum Toxin-A Injections: A Method of Treating Sialorrhea
Published on: November 9, 2016
Treatment of sialorrhea in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
1Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. obty@haukeland.no
Background:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive disease of all voluntary muscles. Bulbar symptoms with reduced ability to swallow occur frequently and may also be an early symptom. For some patients drooling may represent a severe social problem.
Aim:
To review the literature on treatment of sialorrhea in ALS and describe possible treatments.
Method:
PubMed was searched combining the words amyotrophic or ALS with sialorrhea or drooling. Publications more recent than 2000 were selected.
Results:
A total of 31 publications were found. Of these, 22 are from 2000 or later. Thirteen of the 22 most recent publications are original papers whereas 9 are review articles. Of the original articles, four describe treatment of sialorrhea with radiotherapy, five describe effects of botolinum toxin injections into the salivary grands and two describe serious side-effects of botolinum toxin injections for sialorrhea in ALS. The remaining original articles are case descriptions or practice surveys.
Discussion:
The treatment of sialorrhea in ALS is discussed in the view of current knowledge.
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